New Jack
by aww.weh.saw.me
Summary: After an accident, Jack is left confused and strays away from the gang. He becomes hostile and soon becomes Kim's number one bully. Kim just wants the old Jack back and her friends just want to see Kim happy and healthy again. This story will feature Kick later in the story.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is kind of like Trip Down Memory Lane, but it doesn't take place at the same time, it is its own incident. I have most of this story written so I should be posting it fairly often. It's going to be a longer one, unlike some of the one-shots I've posted. Enjoy!**

* * *

Kim smiled down at her phone. Brenden just asked her if she wanted to go to Phil's. They were pretty much dating, but it wasn't official official. The past few weeks Brenden talked to her more and more and then started to ask her to hang out more and more. Somewhere along the way, it had become more than hanging out and had turned into dates. It happened so seamlessly that Kim really hadn't told anybody that she was dating. Her friends knew what was going on because they were there, but her parents and Rudy and the other adults in her life were only vaguely aware that Kim and Brenden were friends.

"What are you looking at?" Jack asked.

Kim looked up at the boys and realized they all saw her smiling. "Brenden wants to go eat."

"When?" Milton asked.

"Uh, right now, I think."

"So you're going to blow us all and practice off?" Jack asked, unable to hide his distaste for Brenden.

"No, I'll be back before practice starts. I promise," Kim said. She knew Jack didn't like Brenden but she didn't like fighting him about it. She was still friends with Jack and she didn't want to lose the special relationship they had.

"Have fun, then," Milton told her.

"Yeah get out of here, we don't need you!" Jerry joked.

"Bye," Jack said quietly.

Kim waved and quickly grabbed her bag and left. She walked into Phil's and waited until Brenden got there, he said he was on his way when he called and would be there in 10 minutes. She was going to wait in the dojo until he got closer, but it felt awkward enough after being there for half a minute, she couldn't imagine 10.

Kim sat in a booth and took out her phone. After a few minutes, she looked up and saw Brenden standing there, by the back, walking towards her.

"Hi, Brenden!" she smiled.

Brenden fidgeted a little before smiling back at her. "Hey, Kim! What uh- what are you doing here so early?"

"Well I was at the dojo with the guys but you know how it gets. I was starting to need a little space from them so I figured I'd wait for you," Kim explained. "Why are you here? I thought you said you'd be 10 minutes. And why were you coming from the back, and not the front door?"

"Oh, I wanted to get here before you. I thought maybe I could order and then by the time you got here the food would be almost ready. And then I had to go to the bathroom so that's why I came in the back," Brenden explained.

"That's so sweet of you to order the food," Kim replied, still a little skeptical. "You didn't actually order yet, did you?"

Brenden fidgeted a little more before he told her he hadn't gotten a chance.

"Okay… well, why don't we order?" Kim suggested.

Brenden nodded and seemed to push whatever was bothering him out of mind. "Great idea. I'll go get it, you stay there." Kim nodded and watched as Brenden ordered their usual.

When he came back, Brenden sat next to Kim in the booth, rather than across from her. It wasn't entirely unusual but it still surprised Kim. However, it was nothing compared to when he scooted closer to her, pushing her all the way to the wall. Now sandwiched between him and the wall, Kim looked up at Brenden.

"What-"

Brenden hushed her with a gentle hand over her mouth. "No talking…"

He lifted his hand and replaced it with his lips. Kim kissed him back but was very surprised when Brenden tried it take it further. They had kissed before, but it was still new to their relationship. Not to mention they were in a public place. _Phil's _of all public places too. She wasn't embarrassed, but the Wasabi Warriors could walk in any given second and see.

Brenden started to kiss Kim's cheek and neck when the food was placed on their table. Brenden didn't seem to notice so Kim tried to push him off of her gently.

"Brenden," she muttered. "...food."

He still continued and Kim knew she had to act fast. "I have to use the ladies room, Brenden."

Brenden sighed and pulled back. He scooted down the bench and stood close enough so that he could grab Kim one last time before she left to the bathroom.

When Kim finally made it to the bathroom she exhaled and leaned against the door. When she looked up she realized she wasn't the only one in the bathroom. There was another girl who she recognized from school but didn't know what her name was. She was looking in the mirror and combing her hair which was a little out of place. She smiled at Kim before she walked out. Kim didn't know what aftermath she had walked in on, but wondered why somebody from school would be there using the bathroom. It wasn't very common to find other kids from school eating at Phil's and it was especially uncommon to find somebody else in the gross bathroom.

Kim shook her head and looked in the mirror. She examined her face and neck, splashing herself with a little cool water and drying it off. After a few minutes, when it seemed like a reasonable amount of time to have been gone, Kim walked back out to sit with Brenden.

Just like when she first saw him, Brenden was on edge; there was no mistaking or covering it up.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked carefully as she stood at the end of the table.

Brenden looked up at her and stood to let her in. She watched him carefully as she slid in and then when he followed.

"Brenden, what is going on?" She asked again.

"Nothing!" he answered as if she was being silly.

"No, there's something. Just tell me what it is," Kim replied, trying to not make it sound like it was a big deal or that she was mad.

"It's nothing, Apr-Kim. It's nothing."

"Did you just-" Kim couldn't even vocalize what she was thinking. Did she really just hear what she thought she did?

He was about to call her April. Why? Suddenly the name matched a face in Kim's mind. April was a girl at school. Kim didn't know April well, she hardly knew her name. The only reason Kim remembered now was because it was the very girl she saw only a few minutes ago.

Kim's mind was racing and she couldn't take being in the small booth any longer. She stood up and pushed her way out, walking into the courtyard outside the dojo with Brenden trailing behind.

"Brenden, answer me honestly. Were you about to call me April?" Kim asked firmly.

Brenden sighed and sat down on a bench, pulling Kim next to him. "Yes."

"April, as in, April from school, April. April, as in, the girl who was just in the bathroom, April?" Each time Kim said April, Brenden tightened a little more.

"Yes."

"And why were you even thinking about April?" Kim was starting to get louder the more she questioned Brenden; the more he broke her trust.

It was such a big answer, Brenden didn't know what to say. Kim seemed to sense that and narrowed it down. "Have you ever been in a relationship with her?"

"Yes."

"Recent?"

"Yes."

"When did you cut ties with her?"

"I didn't…" Brenden answered hesitantly.

"You what!" Kim all but yelled. The few people around heard but Kim didn't care, she couldn't focus on anyone beside Brenden. "I can't believe you! How long has this been going on! Why didn't you tell me!"

Kim started to rise from her seat but Brenden pulled her down and held her there with a hand on her leg. "Kim, please, you're making a scene. Listen, I'm sorry. Things between us just happened so naturally, I hardly noticed what we had going on until we were so far into it."

"So she was first, and I was just something new for when April was busy and you were bored? Were you going to tell me today, at Phil's? Were you going to break up with me?" Kim asked, trying to find a reason to not be so mad.

"No, listen, we don't have to stop. We can keep this up. Kim, I love you. I want you, I want _all _of you," Brenden whispered.

"And April?" Kim questioned.

"April doesn't have to know. We can keep this between the two of us," Brenden suggested.

"No!" Kim yelled. "I'm not going to be your little toy! You can't use me like that! We're over!"

Brenden brought his head down and shook it slowly. He seemed disappointed, but not distraught. "Kim, just don't tell. Don't tell April."

Kim was horrified. Brenden didn't even care about her. He didn't even try to apologize or win her back or even use the lame "it's not you, it's me." She was suddenly very aware of the hand stroking her thigh and she smacked it away as she stood. "Get your hands off me! Just leave me alone!"

Brenden stood up in front of Kim. Kim had turned her head slightly to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. Brenden looked Kim over and Kim felt his gaze and was suddenly afraid he might retaliate. Before she was proved right a body stepped between her and Brenden. There wasn't room for a whole other person and Kim being smaller naturally meant she was pushed back a step. At first, she was confused but then she realized it was Jack.

"Hey, why don't you get out of here," Jack growled.

"Why don't you leave and let me and Kim talk?" Brenden countered, not backing down.

"Why, so you can have Kim all alone and defenseless? I don't think so," Jack said.

"Jack, I'm fine," Kim tried to tell him.

Jack didn't hear or he didn't believe her because the next thing she knew, Kim was gently pushed to the side as Jack and Brenden very suddenly broke out into a fistfight.

"Jack, he didn't hurt me! You're both overreacting!" Kim yelled.

The boys didn't hear Kim, both seemed eager to finally have the chance to get at the other. The whole time Kim was with Brenden they were at each other's throats, both having a spot for Kim in their hearts.

As strong as Brenden was, Jack was trained in martial arts. He fought every day and had an advantage over Brenden. He sent Brenden flying to the ground with a kick to the head and once he saw he was down, turned to Kim.

"I told you he was trouble!" He yelled at her.

Kim cowered back a little at Jack's harsh tone, expecting he was going to comfort her.

"If you used your head for a second and listened to the rest of us and dumped this jerk none of this would have happened, Kim!" Jack yelled again.

Kim couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes any longer as the guilt set in. Jack had warned her about Brenden but she didn't listen. It all could have been prevented but now here she was, crying at the mall while Jack protected her from an angry ex-boyfriend.

Kim wanted to yell back, restore some of her lost pride, but just as she opened her mouth she saw Brenden behind Jack coming in for an attack. "Jack!" She screamed.

But it was too late. He turned his head just as Brenden's fist collided with his temple. Had Jack not turned around it might have not been such an awful blow. However, in an effort to warn him, Kim had made it so much worse.

Jack crumpled to the ground in front of Kim as Brenden ran off. "Jack!" Kim screamed again. Kim dropped next to Jack and rolled him onto his back.

Hearing Kim scream Jack's name brought Rudy, Milton, and Jerry running out of the dojo. They looked around and saw Kim sitting over Jack and rushed over.

"Jack!" Rudy gasped. He knelt next to Kim and looked over the unconscious Jack. Rudy looped an arm around Jack and along with Kim pulled him into the dojo. They leaned him against a pile of mats and Rudy called a doctor.

The boys tried to ask Kim what happened but she was so worried about Jack the only thing they knew was that he was in a fight and took a nasty punch to the face.

When the Doctor came, Rudy pried Kim away from Jack and to her feet.

"Miss, can you tell me what happened?" the Doctor asked.

"He was fighting with Brenden and when he was distracted Brenden was going to punch him. I tried to warn him but when he turned around Brenden just punched him in the face. He blacked out and fell. I didn't mean for him to get hurt," Kim started to sob and all the guys looked away, not knowing how to deal with Kim crying.

The Doctor stepped forward and put a hand on Kim's shoulder. "Don't worry, Miss. He is a strong young man, I'm sure he will be just fine."

Kim nodded and quieted down. The Doctor shook Jack and tried to wake him up. Rudy offered him a water bottle and the Doctor sprayed a few drops on Jack's face. It seemed to do the trick and Jack's eyes fluttered open.

The Doctor started to ask Jack questions and told him to look at certain places. After a while, the doctor stood back up and turned to Rudy. "He took a big hit, but he should be fine. He seems to be suffering from some mild memory loss, but my best guess suggests his old memory returns within a day or so. Telling him more about the things he has forgotten should speed up the process."

Kim couldn't help herself as she asked the doctor, "Is that it? Will he remember everything?"

The Doctor seemed hesitant. "There is no way to know for certain, but as I said, he is a healthy young man. He should be able to remember most everything. Of course little details, like what he ate for breakfast, he might not remember. But big things, friends, names, skills, he should remember those just fine."

"Thank you, Doctor," Rudy said as he shook his hand.

"No problem. Remember, telling him about what he has forgotten should help." With that, the doctor left and everyone crowded around Jack.

"Hey buddy, how do you feel?" Rudy asked.

"My face kind of hurts, I'm not really sure what happened," Jack said.

"Are you mad at me?" Kim asked before she could stop herself.

"Mad at you?" Jack questioned.

"You don't remember do you?" Kim asked sadly.

"Sorry. The Doctor told me I know you guys, but I don't remember anything," Jack apologized.

"I'm Jerry," Jerry said. "And I'm the best one at this dojo."

Milton punched Jerry and introduced himself. "I'm Milton. And Jerry is not the best, you are."

"I'm your sensei, Rudy. And Milton is right, you're an incredible black belt, Jack," Rudy added.

Jack looked at Kim, the last in the line, waiting for her introduction. "I'm Kim," Kim whispered looking away.

Jack chuckled a little. "Okay, Kim. Is that all?"

The guys all left to give Kim and Jack a moment and Jack watched curiously as they walked off.

"What are we dating or something?" Jack joked.

"No," Kim shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Jack," Kim suddenly blurted ours.

"Why are you sorry?"

"This is all my fault. I'm the reason you got hurt. You were right all along, but I didn't listen to you and then you got hurt because of me!" Kim looked away, too guilty to meet Jack's eye.

Jack searched his mind for what happened, trying to remember what Kim was talking about. It wasn't much, but he did remember feeling something. It was strong, and it was directed at Kim. It was her fault that he was hurt. Yes, that seemed right. Yes, he had warned her, he had known. And yes, she didn't listen to him.

Jack stood up abruptly and Kim took a step back. "Kim," he tested out her name and everything he felt solidified. Kim looked up hopeful at Jack. Jack shook his head. "Sorry, I have to go." He took off so suddenly Kim had tried to run after him, but he was too far ahead.

Rudy, Milton, and Jerry came out and saw Kim without Jack. "Where's Jack?" Milton asked.

"He ran off. I don't know where he went. I think he was remembering stuff, but he seemed so… distant. He was almost angry," Kim told them.

"We can't just let him be off on his own, he could get into trouble. He probably doesn't even know where his house is!" Rudy exclaimed.

"We have to go find him!" Jerry said.

"You guys go, I'll stay here in case he comes back," Kim said. The boys nodded and ran out to look for Jack.


	2. Chapter 2

After storming off on Friday, Jack never came back to the dojo. Milton, Jerry, and Kim texted him to make sure he got home safely and he responded that he had and that he wasn't in the mood to talk to them. When Kim walked into the school building on Monday, she instinctively waited at her locker after gathering everything she needed for the day. A few minutes before the bell rang, Jack walked into the building and went straight for his locker, which happened to be right where Kim was. Literally, she was standing in front of his locker because it was right next to hers.

He rolled his eyes at her but she didn't notice he was there. He cleared his throat and Kim whipped around. "Oh, hi," she said awkwardly. She looked away to turn back to her friends but they were gone by then so she was staring at nothing and visibly avoiding Jack's gaze.

Kim didn't seem to get the message that she was blocking Jack's locker so Jack reached out anyways and opened his locker. Kim was naturally forced to the side and she glared at him before walking away, taking note to never wait at her locker again.

* * *

It had been 2 weeks since Jack's incident and him distancing himself from the rest of the Wasabi Warriors. Jack still came to the dojo and practiced. That was about the only thing he still did with the group. Even there, they generally tried to avoid each other and never had conversations beyond one or two words exchanged. He started to take on more private lessons or open dojo time over group practice. Rudy was obviously aware of the change in dynamic between the group, but he most definitely did not know the extent to which it had grown. However, none of them really did. That is, until things really started to change.

As the gang grew further from Jack, there were more encounters like the one with Kim at his locker. Still just small things, in passing. They'd bump into each other and roll their eyes, then move on. Each time it happened, Jack got more and more annoyed. Each day was increasingly worse, and by two weeks, the connection they once had was shattered.

Before the last bell of the day, Kim went to her locker for a few things and stopped by the bathroom. When she got out she tried to walk as fast as she could to her locker so she'd be able to make it to class in time, she hadn't anticipated the line for the bathroom to take so long. When she got to her locker, Jack was at his, and by default, in front of her.

Mimicking the action they did every time this had happened thus far, Kim let out a little cough. Jack knew it was Kim and knew what she wanted but he didn't move. Moving would inconvenience him, and he didn't care about Kim being late anymore. All he cared about was himself and he was busy at the moment.

Kim waited for a second longer for Jack to move but he never did. "Jack," she said quietly, hoping he just hadn't heard her earlier and that he would move now that she was positive he heard. He didn't move though, in fact, he subconsciously started to gather his things a little slower.

"Could you hurry up, I don't want to be late to class," Kim said.

Something inside Jack smiled at the prospect of Kim being late. Consciously this time, he slowed enough for Kim to notice.

"Jack," Kim whined.

Jack turned around to look at Kim. "Oh, we wouldn't want perfect little Kimmy to be late to class now would we?" He asked condescendingly.

Kim scoffed at how rude he was but started to open her locker now that Jack had moved enough for her to put in the code. Just as Kim opened her locker though, Jack slammed it shut.

"What was that for!" Kim asked.

"Can't you take a joke?" Jack asked.

"I'm not really in the mood right now! I'm going to be late to class, move!"

"Don't raise your voice," Jack warned.

Kim was beyond annoyed at Jack. She grabbed his wrist and roughly tossed it aside. She started to twist her lock again when Jack smacked her hands to the side and blocked her locker.

"Don't touch me," he threatened.

"Don't block my locker and I won't have to," Kim replied curtly.

Ever since Jack has stopped hanging out with the Wasabi Warriors, he had taken on the position of a bad boy, the top dog of the school. Without friends like he used to have, that position was all he had now and he wasn't going to let Kim take that from him. He was determined to make that much clear to everyone else as well.

"You're going to regret that," he grumbled.

"What? Treating you like any other kid at this school? Jack, I'm not scared of you," Kim scoffed.

"Maybe you should be." Before Kim could ask what Jack meant, he pushed her away from her locker.

Kim walked angrily back to her locker where Jack stood still. "Why did you push me!"

"Listen, I'm the boss here and I'm not moving so why don't you go run along to class!"

Kim took a step closer to Jack to show she still would not back down. She wasn't going to give in to Jack, he was just being a big baby. "No, because if I don't get my stuff from my locker there is no point in even showing up to class!"

"Perfect, don't show up!" Jack smirked. He knew Kim would never skip class. "Oh wait, would that ruin your little teacher's pet position? I'm sorry, guess you'll have to live like the rest of us now, Princess!" Jack's words were laced with venom but Kim didn't let them get to her. Kim knew he was a different kid than a few weeks ago, but she had hoped somewhere inside her that she could still be friends with Jack. He used to be her best friend and she thought she was his. She never wanted their friendship to end, she hoped whatever was going on was temporary.

She pushed all her hopes and fears away however, she needed to get her stuff. Kim stuck her arm out and slid it between Jack's body and the lockers until she felt her locker lock. She tried to push Jack's body away with the arm she had between him and the lockers but Jack hardly moved.

Instead, Jack grabbed Kim's wrist and twisted her around so her back was to the lockers and he was in front of her, sandwiching her between him and the lockers. Jack slammed Kim's wrist on the lockers above her head and stared her down.

Kim was speechless, she didn't know Jack was so far gone. So far that now he relied on physical dominance.

Jack chuckled darkly. "What, cat's got your tongue? What's wrong, Princess?"

"Don't call me Princess!" Kim was glad he had refrained from using his old teasing nickname for her, Kimmy, but hated that he had a new one. One that was even more demeaning. "And let go of me!" Kim tried to rip her wrist from Jack but they both already knew she couldn't. After taking so many years of karate and sparring together, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. They used to love that they could push each other to the max when they trained, but now it only made the situation worse.

Kim used her right hand to punch Jack's right arm. Hitting just the right spot, he released Kim's arm with a grunt of pain. Kim started to walk to her locker when Jack said, "you probably shouldn't have done that."

The phrase used to cause butterflies of excitement to enter her stomach. She always loved to watch the face on whoever Jack was fighting when he said that. That phrase was like his good luck charm, he never lost after he said that. Kim literally could not think of a time he had ever lost once his emotions got strong enough to say that. And being on the other side of his words this time scared Kim like heck.

Jack yanked Kim's arm back but she twisted out and faced Jack. She studied his face for a moment, looking for any sign of regret over what he did to her. When she couldn't read him, she took that as her cue to fight back. She aimed a kick at his side which Jack easily blocked. She kicked the other leg but pulled back quickly and faked him out as she kicked him on the other side.

After her success though, she didn't stop. Jack was still fully functional and now he was surely mad at Kim. He threw his most used punch and Kim blocked with her overused block. Jack seemed to know Kim would block like that and threw a slightly different punch so that when Kim caught his fist, the impact was so strong her wrist couldn't support it and snapped back. It hadn't broken her wrist, thank goodness, but it did hurt.

As Jack and Kim continued to fight, a small crowd gathered and watched from a distance. Nobody really knew who to cheer for or boo, because up until that point not many kids in the school knew that the Wasabi Warriors and Jack weren't friends anymore.

They had been fighting for a few minutes now, and Kim was starting to get tired. Had she warmed up and was dressed for karate, she would have been fine. The impromptu full-on fight that was going on in her school clothes was not exactly an easy spar. Kim had never fought Jack as an enemy and he was very good when he was fighting, not sparing for practice.

When Kim threw a sloppy kick Jack caught it with both hands. Kim and Jack locked eyes for a second and Kim silently had a short conversation with Jack. _If you do this, we might never be able to be friends again_, she said. Jack seemed to get the message and hesitated before flipping Kim. She flew five feet and spun more times than she could count before she landed on the tile ground with a thud.

Jack knelt down with a knee on either side of Kim and forgot everything he knew about karate. He had to separate his new self from his old self somehow, he couldn't exclusively use karate. He had to fight like a normal big dog has to. It was like his right to be the big dog.

He started to throw sloppy but strong punches at Kim. She used her arms to form a shield around her face. Her arms absorbed most the blows but Jack managed to get a few on her face and torso. Jack's sloppy punches were fast enough that Kim couldn't throw in a punch of her own. Kim kicked and flailed beneath Jack, but she couldn't do anything as he sat on top of her, beating her to a pulp.

* * *

"Jerry! I'm going to be late to class because of your stupid prank!" Milton complained.

Jerry just laughed as Milton walked as fast as he could to his next class. He slowed down when he saw a group of kids watching something. "Ugh, it's probably some immature fight. Okay, okay, move along kids, some of us want to get to class!" Milton started to push past kids and Jerry followed behind.

When Jerry and Milton saw it was Jack and Kim fighting they momentarily froze. When they saw Jack on top of Kim, punching her with no regard to her struggling body, they sprang into action.

"Holy Christmas nuts, Jack!" Milton screamed.

Jack didn't seem to notice and Jerry and Milton started to pull Jack away. Kim saw her chance and rolled out from under Jack. She turned around and sat up, staring at Jack. The bell rang and the crowd around the Wasabi Warriors dispersed as the action died down.

Once Jack was fully off Kim, Jerry and Milton ran to Kim's side to help her. Jack was sweating a little and panting as he looked at Jerry, Milton, and Kim. "What the heck was that for, Jack!" Jerry yelled. He was angry, like actually angry, and it surprised Kim and Milton. It would have surprise Jack too, but he was too focused on himself.

Jack shrugged. "She was getting on my nerves."

"So you beat her up!" Milton yelled.

Jack let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I did. And I can do it again!"

Jerry wrapped his arm around Kim protectively and pulled her close. It saddened Kim that it wasn't Jack. He used to be the protective one, now that job was left for Jerry and Milton to fill and it wasn't right.

"No, you can't!" Milton replied.

"I can, and I'll start with you!" Jack took a step towards them and Milton jumped back. Jerry would have if he hadn't been holding onto Kim.

Kim stood up and stepped in front of Milton. "No, you won't. Jack, leave them alone," Kim said.

"Whatever you say, Princess." Kim gulped at her nickname and Jack stood closer and closer to her until she was sure he could hear her heart beating rapidly. Before he could punch or kick or do anything though, an adult yelled.

"You four! Principal's office. Now!" Their heads snapped to the side to see one of the assistant principals, Ms. Huller. She sent a flare in their direction as she watched to make sure they actually went.

"Come on, Princess," Jack whispered. He brushed past Kim and bumped her on the way but Ms. Huller didn't see.

Kim watched Jack for a few steps and then Jerry lightly pushed her back until she started to walk to the principal's office on her own.

When they got there the receptionist told them to sit and wait. There were 4 chairs and Jack choose one of the middle chairs. Not wanting to split up, Jerry, Milton, and Kim all stood.

"Jerk," Kim muttered.

A few minutes later Principal Mullins walked out. "Are you four the ones Ms. Huller sent in?" He asked.

They nodded and followed Principal Mullins in the office. There were only two chairs so Jerry and Milton stood.

"Does one of you want to explain why Ms. Huller sent you down to my office?" Principal Mullins asked.

They all looked down. "Kim?" He asked.

Kim looked at Jack then back at Principal Mullins. "We were arguing after the bell rang, sir," she replied vaguely.

"I see. You were just arguing?" He asked skeptically.

The three boys all looked at each other with sly glances. "Well-" Milton started.

"Yes. We were just arguing, Principal Mullins," Kim insisted.

The boys scrunched their faces in confusion but Kim nodded to let them know to follow her lead. Jack, of course, would go along with it, it meant less trouble for him, but Jerry and Milton didn't understand. Nevertheless, they agreed.

Principal Mullins looked to the boys for confirmation and they each nodded. "Yeah, we were just talking, yo! That's it! I didn't do anything!" Jerry said. Milton elbowed his side to shut him up.

"What he means to say, Principal Mullins, is that we were indeed arguing. But I believe the reason Ms. Huller sent us to your lovely office is because the bell already rang and we were still in the hall. Not to mention that there was in fact some tension present between us. After all, we were arguing," Milton said, trying to fix what Jerry had said.

"And what were you all arguing about?" Principal Mullins asked.

Nobody spoke for a while. "Jack took my… um. He took my lucky hair tie, sir," Kim explained, making up the best excuse she could.

"And why were those two involved?" He asked pointing to Jerry and Milton.

"Jack and I were-"

"Thanks, Kim. But I want to hear what Jack says," Principal Mullins said. Jack's eyes shot up. "Jack?"

"Right. Uh, yeah Kim was right. Well, I took her hair tie and I didn't give it back to her and then we started fighting and I didn't know it was her lucky hair tie. When Jerry and Milton saw us fighting they came over and they knew it was her lucky hair tie so they started backing her up. We didn't hear the bell ring because we were fighting," Jack explained, trying his best to make the story believable.

"And this lucky hair tie, do you still have it?"

"Yes. It's that one," Kim said, pointing to the only hair tie on Jack's wrist.

"Well Jack, now that you know it's Kim's lucky hair tie, can you give it back?" Principal Mullins asked.

Jack grunted and tossed Kim the hair tie. She slipped it on her wrist and pretended it was her 'lucky hair tie'.

"Now that we have that sorted out, I'm letting you all off with a warning. If this fighting escalates though, I will call home to your parents. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," they replied.

"Good. Go back to class then. Without taking each other's things," he warned.

When the four of them reached the hall the boys turned around to face Kim.

"Why did you lie!" Milton asked.

Kim sighed. "Because. I just don't want to deal with any trouble right now!"

"There won't be any trouble if you give me back my hair tie, Princess," Jack said.

Kim rolled her eyes. "I'm not giving it back. Consider it partial payment for me lying to save your sorry butt and for what you did to me in the hall!" Kim hissed.

"Give me back my hair tie," Jack said through his gritted teeth. He reached to grab Kim's arm and yank it off himself but she pulled back.

"After everything we just did, you're going to start a fight now? In front of the principal's office?" Kim asked.

Jack knew she was right and he couldn't do anything just then. "Fine. Keep the hair tie. You'll be sorry though. All of you will be sorry."

"Don't drag Jerry and Milton into this!"

Jack narrowed his eyes at Kim and smirked. "Fine by me. See you later, Princess." Jack strutted away and Kim looked at Jerry and Milton.

"I'm sorry guys," she said.

"Kim, why did you really lie?" Milton asked.

"Because. I can't help it, I still care about Jack. I know he's done awful things, but this isn't him. I want the real Jack back. But if we want that, we can't let our parents or Rudy know what Jack did. If they knew they wouldn't care about getting the old Jack back they would just want to punish the new one!"

The two boys thought about it before agreeing. "You're right Kim. We have to keep this to ourselves so we can fix this. Just, be careful around Jack, okay?" Jerry said.

Kim nodded. "Let's just go to your locker," Milton said. They walked to Kim's locker and she finally grabbed what she needed. "About your fight with Jack, are you okay? What even happened? When we came we just saw Jack on top of you beating the living crap out of your forearms!"

"I'm okay. At least it was my arms and not my face. There'd be no way to play it off after that. I'm gonna be sore, but it's fine. I don't even know why Jack was so mad. He was standing in front of my locker and when I asked him to move he flipped out. Not to mention he won't call me anything but Princess now."

"We're sorry, Kim. We know how much you miss hanging out with Jack," Jerry said.

"We all miss it," Kim replies.

"Yeah, but you miss him the most," Milton smirked.

Kim playfully punched Milton and they all walked back to class.


	3. Author's note

**Author's note**

**Okay, I never ever do this, but this was something important and I wanted to address it. I keep getting emails of a guest review but when I pull up my story, it doesn't show them. Whether they ever show up or not, I wanted to talk about the future of this story.**

**Yes, there will be angst. That was the design of the story, that was the idea I had when I wrote it. However, as I stated in the summary, there will indeed be Kick. There will not be any suicidal thoughts or clinical depression. That said, I still think it is important to note that it is my opinion that you can't hide from sad things. In the past I've heard that hearing about suicide can make people suicidal. Maybe that is the case, but I think the best way to combat suicide is to make everyone aware. I am no expert, but it has increasingly become more prevalent in schools all over, just like in mine. Many steps have been taken and will continue to be taken to equip the entire school with knowledge regarding how to help yourself and everyone around you. If you find the topic uncomfortable, I suggest you take small steps to make yourself more knowledgable about dealing with suicide. I don't want to go off too much, so I'll leave it at that.**

**Nevertheless, when you get right down to it, if you think this story is too depressing, if you do not like it for any reason, I kindly ask that you stop reading it, I, nor anybody, is making you read it. I can direct you to my other fan fictions, there may be a light one you do like. And if not, sorry, but please don't spam me with redundant hate, I am a person just like everyone else here. **

**Thanks! Update coming on Monday!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3!**

* * *

After school, everyone went to the dojo for open dojo. Rudy said he was busy but whenever he couldn't make it he left Jack with the keys to the dojo so they could all practice still. The only bad thing was that now that Jack wasn't talking to the rest of the Warriors they were at his mercy.

When they got there Jack was inside already. The other's walked in straight to the lockers to put their bags away. Jerry and Milton ran to the locker room to change. Kim stayed behind to rummage through her bag and get her workout clothes. The boys always kept some in their lockers but Kim liked to have clean clothes.

When she found the shirt and leggings she wanted she stuffed her bag in her locker and turned around. "Sup Princess," Jack said, turning his attention to Kim.

"Leave me alone," Kim said.

"No can do Princess." Jack walked towards Kim. She backed up until her legs hit the bench. Jack towered over Kim and leaned in. Kim leaned back and was nearly doing a backbend when Jack was about to speak.

The door to the boy's locker room suddenly banged open and Jerry and Milton walked out. Jack turned around and pushed Kim as he quickly walked away. Kim fell over the back of the bench but by the time Jerry and Milton saw her on the floor, Jack was at the other end of the dojo.

"Why are you on the floor Kim?" Jerry asked.

Kim glanced over to Jack. He wasn't even paying attention anymore, although she knew he had an ear open to hear what she was going to say. "Just tripped."

The boys nodded and helped her up. They tried to spar, but it was hard with Jack being there but not being himself. He was in the way because he wouldn't move off the mat for them and he wouldn't spar with Kim either. She sparred Jerry but she missed Jack's elevated skill level. She liked that he pushed her to be better.

Deciding sparring just wasn't going to happen, the three tried to practice in any other way they could. Milton worked on breaking boards and Jerry and Kim used pads to practice kicks and punches.

After awhile Milton and Jerry packed up their stuff. "Hey Kim, we're going to Phil's. Wanna come?" Jerry asked.

"I'm okay. I'll catch up with you guys later, though!" Jerry nodded and followed Milton out the door.

Kim walked over to where Milton has set up the boards to practice and set up her own. Jack saw what she was doing and groaned. "Can you leave?"

Kim turned to Jack. "No, I'm practicing. Just leave the keys I'll lock up if you want to go."

"I don't want to leave. I want you to leave," Jack replied.

Kim scoffed. "Well sorry Jack, I'm not leaving." Kim turned her attention back to the boards.

Jack rolled his eyes at Kim and tried to take her boards. Kim put her hand on top to prevent Jack from taking them. Suddenly, Jack stopped. He had an idea.

"What?" Kim asked, sensing something was going on.

Jack smirked. "You can stay if you get a sharpie from Rudy's office."

Kim was confused. "What? Why do you need a sharpie? I'm not going to be your servant, get it yourself."

"Just get the sharpie and I'll leave you alone."

Kim threw her hands up and stomped to Rudy's office. Jack followed behind her closely and as Kim walked around the desk Jack backed out the door.

"Have fun, Princess!" Jack shut the door and locked it as Kim rushed to open it. She shook the handle but it wouldn't budge.

"Jack!" She yelled. "Let me out!" She screamed and banged on the door but Jack didn't do anything.

Kim looked around Rudy's office for a key but couldn't find anything. The drawer she knew had a key was locked, and Jack had the key to open the drawer.

Kim sighed and plopped on the couch. She turned around and looked through the blinds to see Jack practicing triumphantly. Jack turned and saw her looking through the blinds, screaming at him, and pretended not to notice.

"Jerk!" Kim pounded the window with her palm and fell back onto the couch. She started to look around again but didn't find anything meaningful in Rudy's office. She finally just sat down and decided to wait for Jack to let her out.

After a long time, there was some clutter going on outside Rudy's office and Kim turned and saw Jack put the equipment away and turn off the lights, clicking the door behind him. She froze for a few seconds. Jack just locked her in Rudy's office for an hour and then left. Without letting Kim out.

Thoroughly annoyed and angry (with no way to release her anger on a dummy because she was locked in the office), she called Jerry.

"Hey, chica! We just left Phil's. What do you want?"

"After you left Jack was being a huge jerk and long story short, he locked me in Rudy's office. He wouldn't open the door and he just left and closed up the dojo, but I'm still here and I can't get Rudy's door open," Kim grunted.

"He what?" Jerry's voice got quiet and Kim assumed he turned to talk to Milton. "She said Jack locked her in Rudy's office and he just left but he didn't open the office."

"Kim, it's Milton. Have you checked for Rudy's spare key?"

"Well I know he has it in his drawer but the drawer is locked too," Kim explained.

"Well, that's the key to the dojo. The key to his office and that drawer are under the birdcage."

"Birdcage?" Kim questioned.

"Don't ask. Do you see it?" Milton asked.

Kim looked around for a second before he saw the small birdcage. She lifted it and lone behold, there were two keys on a chain.

"Got 'em. Erm… thanks," Kim said.

"You're welcome. Jack has turned into a big jerk. We're sorry we left you with him," Milton apologized.

"It's okay, I wanted to stay. We just have to get used to not being close to Jack. I'll see you and Jerry tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye, Kim."

Kim hung up quickly and slammed her phone on the table before she chucked it across the room. She put the smaller key in the drawer lock and it opened right away. She found the dojo key and let herself out of Rudy's office. After angrily grabbing her things, Kim unlocked and then relocked the dojo, stomping home.

The next day, Kim had a renewed anger at Jack when she saw him outside before school. Consumed by memories of the previous day Kim ran up to Jack and jerked his arm back.

"What the heck did you lock me in Rudy's office for yesterday!" She was practically yelling and kids walking nearby glanced toward Jack and Kim, waiting to see what was going to go down.

"I was trying to practice and you were on the mats," Jack replied curtly.

"You could have asked me to move! Or even better, you could have just dealt with it and shared the dojo! I was locked in there for an hour! And then you left me there. Locked!" Kim was fuming and she stuck her finger on Jack's chest to emphasize her point.

Jack saw her wrist and grabbed it harshly. "Get your finger out of my face." He threw it back enough for Kim to take a step back to regain her balance.

She could have backed down then, but she didn't. Instead, she took a step forward and challenged Jack. "Or what?"

"Just leave me alone!" Jack replied with a fist aimed at Kim. She caught it quickly and without thinking flipped Jack.

"Fine!" She huffed as she walked past a bunch of shocked students to her locker.

Before the bell rang Jerry and Milton ran up to her. "Why is everyone talking about you this morning?" They asked.

"Jack and I had another fight… and I might have gotten mad flipped him."

"You flipped Jack?" Milton almost screeched. "In front of like half the school? Oh boy Jack's not going to be happy. So much for his bad-boy image."

"Well, he needs to realize he doesn't run this school. Just because we don't talk anymore doesn't mean he has to be the king of the school bullies," Kim said. Jerry and Milton agreed and they walked to class together.


	5. Chapter 4

Before lunch, Kim was walking with Grace in an almost empty hallway. Grace spotted Jack marching over to them and gave Kim a look. "I think I'll let you two talk. See you later?" She asked.

"Yeah, see ya."

Grace nodded and walked off. Jack reached the spot where Kim was standing and Kim glared at him. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk, come on," Jack grumbled.

He grabbed Kim's arm and pulled her into an empty room. He closed the door and made sure nobody was in the room.

Kim grunted as she ripped her arm from Jack's painfully strong grasp. "Let go of me!"

Jack released her momentarily before slamming her into the wall. She coughed and gasped for breath that was just knocked out of her lungs from the intense impact with the wall.

"Listen, Princess, what happened today isn't going to happen again," Jack stated.

It took Kim a moment to realize he was talking about earlier that morning, when she flipped him in front of the school. "And why is that?"

Jack still had his hands on Kim's arms and pushed her harder into the wall.

"What? Did it hurt your bad boy image? All I did was set you straight! You aren't above the rest of us. You're the one who stopped being our friend. It's your fault. You can't take that out on the rest of us. You deserved every second this morning-"

Kim was cut off by a painful slap to her cheek. It stung and burned. Kim could feel her eyes start to water and she looked up at Jack in shock. He had just slapped her. Pinned against the wall and he straight up slapped her as hard as he could.

Jack saw the pain and shock in Kim's eyes and played off of it to create more fear. He leaned in close and Kim tried to get away, but he had her trapped. "That's enough, Princess. I didn't fight back this morning because I'm not an idiot like you. I'm not about to make a show of it for hundreds of students to witness and possibly snitch. No, I like to take care of business in private. I find it is far more effective."

Kim shivered at Jack's words. She didn't know exactly what they meant, but she knew they were to scare her and they were working. She was effectively scared.

Jack pulled her forward slightly and flipped Kim before she could react. Not giving her a chance to recover just yet, Jack kicked her back to the wall. Kim stood up and threw a weak punch in defense. Jack grabbed her fist and twisted her arm to her back. Kim yelled in pain and Jack, satisfied, push her arm further up.

"Please, stop!" She cried. Jack pushed harder and Kim thought her arm might fall off. She wished it did, so it would stop hurting. "Jack! You're breaking my arm!"

Jack huffed and threw Kim back to the ground. She nursed her arm for a second and Jack yanked her back up. Wanting her eye level, he lifted Kim off her feet and she kicked helplessly.

"What happened to us?" she whispered with tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure Jack heard as he threw her into a cluster of desks and chairs. She hit the pile and slumped to the floor. Propping herself on her elbows, she looked back up at Jack.

He stalked towards her and she brought her knees to her chest. Jack knelt in front of Kim and grabbed her face. "This conversation stays between the two of us. Understood?"

Kim didn't answer immediately. Because of it, Jack pulled Kim up a little and it put a large strain of her neck. Kim nodded quickly and Jack released her with another painful slap. He stood up and towered over Kim. "You might want to clean up that face. Princesses always look presentable," he sarcastically remarked. He kicked Kim again and she fell to her stomach. Jack took one last scoff at Kim and then walked out of the room.

Kim's heart fell and she wiped the tears from her face. Her eyes shot to the clock and she saw she was starting to miss the beginning of lunch. After checking herself for any major injuries she pulled herself to her feet. Her arm was sore and would probably be sore for a while. Her back hurt too and she had a mild headache and throbbing on the back of her head.

Kim forced herself to put the whole thing behind her and stopped any tears from surfacing. She knew she didn't look the best, but when she cleaned herself up enough she left the room with her head down. Checking herself out in the bathroom, she made sure her eyes weren't noticeably puffy and then made her way to the lunchroom.

When she sat down Jerry and Milton were waiting for her. "Where were you?"

"I just got caught up. It's okay, I'm not hungry." Kim smiled quickly and hoped the boys left her alone. Lucky for her, they did.

The rest of the day Kim kept mostly silent and didn't talk to anybody unless they asked her something. Even then she gave vague one-word answers, not caring what they thought of her. When she got home she worked on homework and skipped karate practice.

By the time she got to bed, she had successfully avoided any extra human interaction. She hoped she wouldn't ever have to see Jack again, and that she could just forget about everything that had happened.

When she woke up and got ready for the next day she was only mildly shocked to see a few new bruises decorating her stomach. Deciding she didn't want anyone's pity, especially her self-wallowing, she put on a shirt and decided to push Jack out of her mind. She would have to live a life without him in it, no more interfering.

The school day went fairly normal. Kim wasn't the silent, depressed girl she was yesterday, but she was not the girl she was a month previous. Her close friends seemed to chalk it up to a bad day.

The next day Kim was still more quiet than usual and Jerry and Milton asked her about it at lunch.

"Kim?" Milton started.

"Hm?" Kim didn't look up from her food. When there was a pause she looked up at Milton to see why he didn't keep talking. When she looked up Milton and Jerry were both looking at Kim intently. "What?" she asked more concerned this time.

"Jerry and I were talking. We're worried about you, Kim."

"Why?" she asked dumbly.

"You've been totally out of it, Kim," Jerry said.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"We mean that things between you and Jack are getting toxic and it clearly shows."

For a second, Kim worried Jerry and Milton found out about Jack's confrontation in the classroom the other day. Nobody could know about that, she was sure Jack would figure out and then get mad at her and she wasn't sure what he'd do then.

"You can tell us what is wrong, Kim. We just want what is best for you," Jerry said.

Before Kim could come up with some sort of lie or way around telling the boys what had happened, Jack entered the lunchroom. He scanned the room and his eyes landed on Kim. He smirked and walked over to her. Kim shrank back in her seat.

"What, you're not sitting with Brendan? Oh, that's right, who would date a fat slut like you? Jerry and Milton may be sitting with you now, but soon they'll realize you're just playing them too. Just like you play and seduce every other boy you set your eyes on!" Jack spat. He kicked Kim's backpack as he continued on his way to his table.

When he left Kim sat frozen. Was she really a slut? A player? It was true she had dated plenty of boys. And she had been the one to dump them all. But she had good reason too, didn't she? Ricky was a player himself, of course she rejected him. And she didn't have feelings for Brett, she didn't want to let him go on thinking she did, it wouldn't be right. And Brody lied to her and was a Black Dragon who wanted to hurt her. And Prince Yuval was a Prince, she wasn't ready for that kind of lifestyle. And her most recent endeavor with Brendan was justified, wasn't it?

How did she ever manage to date so many boys anyways? Was she really a seducer? Did she manipulate all those boys? Did she force them into a relationship with her for her own benefit? Did she go into those relationships selfishly?

Was she really fat? She did karate and cheer and gymnastics, but was that enough? Did she eat too much? Was she unhealthy? Were her thighs too big? Her waist too wide? She had to go up a size last time she went shopping, was that a sign she was overweight? Was it enough for people to notice?

What hurt most was what Jack had said about Milton and Jerry. Was she playing them too? Just like all the other boys? She wasn't trying to seduce them, but then again she wasn't trying to seduce anybody else either. Milton and Jerry were her friends, she had no romantic interest in them. She wasn't playing them, right? But maybe she was. Jack was right, once Milton and Jerry realize what Kim is, they'll leave her too.

"Kim. Kim?" Kim's head snapped up and hearing her name and she looked to see Milton and Jerry looking even more concerned.

"Kim, we've been calling your name," Milton said.

Kim didn't answer as she looked away. Before she knew it was even there, a silent tear fell down her face.

"Kim, don't listen to Jack. He was making it all up," Jerry urged. Kim blinked and another tear fell. She tried her best to hide it, but Jerry pulled her into him and gave her a side hug.

"You're not playing us, Kim. We want to be your friend because we love you like a sister and we know you'd never try to seduce us, or anybody. You're not that kind of person," Milton told her.

"Really?" she asked, feeling slightly better.

"Of course."

Kim nodded and wiped her face. She straightened out and Jerry released her from the side hug. "Thanks, guys."

"Is this why you've been acting differently?" Milton asked. "Because Jack keeps tormenting you?"

"Kind of," Kim replied, not willing to share the full story.

Milton nodded in understanding and the three of them sat quietly. Kim went back to her food. She stared at her chicken alfredo, her favorite meal, and was suddenly not hungry. She moved the sauce with her fork and watched as the grease moved. It repulsed her so much she had to look away. Since when did she not like alfredo sauce? Deciding she had just made it up, Kim poked a piece of chicken, dunked it in sauce, and brought it to her lips. The smell was so strong, she nearly dropped her fork. She muttered an excuse me and ran to the bathroom.

Kim walked into a stall and stood above the toilet before she threw up. Feeling a little better, Kim flushed the toilet and walked to the sink to clean herself up. She ran her fingers through her hair, wiped the sweat off her face, and straightened her shirt before walking back to the cafeteria. When she walked in she saw Jack talking to Donna, both smirking. They both looked up at Kim and Jack walked over to her.

Jack stood next to Kim and walked slowly as he talked, her not even looking at him."Hey, Princess. I get it now. The weight gain, the extra moody attitude, throwing up. You're not fat," Jack started.

Kim was confused and stopped walking before Jack continued. "All those boys, you got yourself knocked up and now it's finally caught up to you. That extra weight is the baby you're pregnant with. A slut like you, I bet you don't even know who the father is!" Jack joked.

Kim was so shocked she couldn't stop the squeak that escaped her lips. She turned to Jack and quickly analyzed his face. His mouth was in the most demeaning smirk. His eyes were laced with a passionate distaste, and something else Kim couldn't quite decipher. She didn't look long enough to find out. Instead, she turned around and ran out of the cafeteria again, not caring about the lunch that she wouldn't even be able to keep down anyways.

She ran to the staircase and sat down, keeping her head down and letting her hair hide her face. A minute later, she looked up and saw Milton and Jerry slowly walking towards her.

"What happened, Kim?" Jerry asked hesitantly.

"I-I uh… I-" Kim couldn't seem to get it out. Milton and Jerry walked closer and sat down on the stairs with her.

"I just got a little nauseous from my food and went to the bathroom. Donna must have been in there though. I threw up and then when I came back, Donna had talked to Jack and he came over. He called me a slut and accused me of being pregnant and said that I probably didn't even know who the father was," Kim explained. Her voice was steady, her anger rising. Saying it out loud made it more real, and she couldn't fathom the person Jack had become.

"That's horrible!" Milton said. "He didn't mean it, Kim! He is just trying to get at you!"

"Yeah? Well, maybe it's working!"

Milton sighed and looked to Jerry for support. Jerry shrugged and they both looked at Kim. The bell rang and before the halls and stairs would be flooded with students, Milton and Jerry helped Kim up and walked back to the cafeteria. They grabbed their backpacks, Milton handing Kim hers, and made their way to their next classes.


	6. Chapter 5

Without even discussing it, Milton and Jerry walked with Kim to her next class, leaving once she thanked them quietly and walked in the room. When class ended, Kim walked out of the room to see Milton and Jerry waiting to walk with her to the next class too.

In the hall, they walked by Jack, who merely rolled his eyes at her before continuing down the hall. They all tried to ignore him. Kim had already been so hurt it wasn't surprising anymore.

By the end of the day, Kim was so frustrated she marched home and let her bag fall as she slumped onto a chair by the island. She folded her arms and threw her head down with her eyes closed.

After clenching and unclenching, kicking her legs, and banging her head on her arms repeatedly for a few minutes, Kim yanked the freezer open. She pulled out a carton of ice cream and threw it behind her on the table. She grabbed a spoon and threw it next to the carton, and grabbed a bowl, scowling because she knew she couldn't throw the bowl without it shattering. After scooping herself a hearty scoop Kim threw the carton back in the freezer and kicked it shut. Even though she wasn't supposed to, she brought the ice cream on to the carpet and in her room.

After stirring her ice cream until it was a smooth consistency—the way she liked it—Kim started to eat her ice cream. A few scoops in she realized she was actually very full and couldn't finish. It made her even more upset that she couldn't even enjoy a good bowl of ice cream. She set the bowl on her dresser and instead pulled up Netflix and turned on a show to watch while she did her homework.

Her mom came home from the store sometime that afternoon and briefly asked Kim how her day was and if she happened to eat any ice cream. Kim replied her usual monotone "school was fine" and denied eating any ice cream.

"Kim, are you okay? You've been quiet lately. Is something wrong at school?" her mom asked.

Kim didn't understand how her mom had caught the change. Sure things weren't great, exactly, but she always gave the same answer every day. Even days when she had a good day school was always just "fine" and nothing more or less.

"Yes. Nothing is going on," Kim replied in a flat tone.

"How are things with Jack?" Kim's mom knew that the relationship with Jack and the other dojo friends was strained but just like Rudy, Kim didn't dare share the extent to which it had grown.

"They aren't the same, it's weird. But it's fine," Kim said.

Kim's mom nodded. She wasn't convinced but Kim wasn't going to give her any more information.

When it came time for dinner Kim found herself not very hungry and claimed she was just tired from school and homework. Kim didn't sleep very well that night, but also barely even cared.

* * *

It had been 3 weeks since the confrontation in the classroom with Jack, and Kim had taken it hard. Every day she would see Jack and he would have some smart remark or annoyed look to throw at her. Jerry and Milton were evermore concerned with her well-being and dutifully watched over her the best they could. Of course, they didn't have the full story and that only made things harder on Kim. Jerry and Milton tried to cheer her up, but she couldn't get Jack's demeaning voice out of her head.

Every day her appetite got smaller and smaller. She had not even realized it herself until Jerry and Milton confronted her and asked if she was trying to diet or purge. She admitted she didn't know what they were talking about but that night she looked in the mirror and saw what they were talking about. Her skin was getting paler, her eyes slightly sunk, and her bones more pronounced. She hadn't noticed before but now that somebody had pointed it out, she couldn't unsee her sickly state. When had that even happened? She hadn't even noticed, but Jerry and Milton did. Who else noticed?

Kim's parents knew that something was going on with Kim, but all they could get out of her was that her separation from Jack was hard. Seeing him with other friends was hard. They had deduced that Jack was no longer friendly with the gang, but they merely thought it was something along the lines of mild high school drama. Maybe a few verbal fights and shows of changed loyalty. Nothing like a literal secret beating in a classroom during school hours and deep insulting jabs at Kim's insecurities.

Rudy also saw the change in Kim but wasn't bright enough to make the connection that is was a direct product of Jack's behavior. What he had decided, as her sensei, was that she was becoming too weak and frail to safely continue karate and her usual cardio. He still let Kim come to practice but warned her against anything too demanding. Kim argued at first, but she soon realized she didn't have the strength to move and train like she used to. Rudy promised she could continue karate like she used too as soon as she pulled herself together, but it was easier said than done.

Not only had things between her dojo friends changed, her relationship with friends on the cheer squad or other classes diminished. She got quiet and most girls stopped making an effort to talk to her if she couldn't keep up the conversation.

3 weeks had changed Kim into a completely new person. When she walked into school on Monday Jerry and Milton were waiting right by her locker.

"Hey, Kim," Jerry said.

"Hey."

"How was your weekend?" Milton asked.

"Fine. Yours?"

"The usual. I was thinking do you and Jerry want to hang out after school at the-"

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The Wasabi Wimps!"

The three turned around and looked up to see Frank standing in front of them.

"What do you want, Frank?" Milton asked, scrunching his nose in disgust at Franks presence.

"In case you forgot the way things were before Jack moved here, you are supposed to be afraid of me!" Frank said.

"And?" Milton asked.

"And I don't see Jack anywhere. With Jack gone, you guys are nothing!" Frank laughed.

"Actually I think you're forgetting Kim is a black belt too!" Jerry pointed out.

Frank laughed. "What is she going to do? She can't even defend herself let alone either of you!" To prove his point Frank shoved Kim into the lockers.

Kim hit her head on the lockers and black spots danced as her vision narrowed. When she would have pushed back and kicked Frank's butt a few weeks ago, Kim was now using all her energy to stay standing. Jerry and Milton grabbed Kim to steady her and fretted over her while Frank walked away laughing.

"Maybe we should take you to the nurse, you don't look well. You might faint and then-"

"Milton, shut up! I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, okay?" Kim said.

Milton closed his mouth and nodded. He and Jerry looked at each other again and then back at Kim. They let go of her and she turned back to her locker, swaying a little as she did so. Jerry caught her and held on until Kim grabbed everything she needed. She turned around and pulled herself out of Jerry's arms.

Kim appreciated the boy's help, but she was determined to only accept the most necessary help. If she could walk to class on her own, she would walk to class on her own. Any additional signs of weakness just fueled Jack or Frank or any of the other newly created bullies. Kim liked to refer to them as jerks and idiots instead. She didn't like the word bully. Having a bully means being weak and not able to defend yourself, and Kim was not weak.


	7. Chapter 6

Ever since Frank had confirmed Kim was unable to protect herself and Milton and Jerry, he took full advantage of it.

Every chance Frank had to shove Kim, trip her, block her path, pelt her with paper or trash, or any other thing he could think of, he would. When other Black Dragons were around, it only fueled the fire and Kim was humiliated to the very edge of her patience.

Jack, along with girlfriend wannabes like Donna, always seemed to have a rude and snarky comment to share whenever Kim walked by.

She was miserable but tried desperately to not let it show. Milton and Jerry were her only friends and the only ones who knew how much Kim dreaded each day of school. She managed to keep up a happy facade around most people, but at times when she was left alone with Milton and Jerry, she couldn't hold it back. She never cried, but she had periods of complete silence followed by long angry rants followed by more silence. It was an endless cycle and Milton and Jerry just let Kim do whatever she needed to cope.

After practice, Jack left to do whatever he was up to and Rudy ran off, the kids not knowing where he was going, just that it involved goats, cheese, and haunted farms.

Kim spent practice doing small exercises and stretches. Rudy didn't feel comfortable with her flipping or twisting but allowed her less demanding moves. Jerry and Milton were busy in the locker rooms when Frank and a few Black Dragons marched in.

"Hey Kimmy," Frank jeered.

"Don't call me Kimmy," Kim grunted as she turned her attention towards the front of the dojo. "Why did you come here?"

"Oh come on, can't a guy have some fun?" he asked with a smile. The Black Dragons all stepped towards Kim and Frank stood so close Kim could hear him breathe.

Kim took a step back and Frank matched it, leaving very little room between them again. "I have something I need you to do," Frank started.

"I'm not doing anything for you." Kim scoffed that Frank would ever think Kim would help him. Sure maybe she was no match for him anymore, but that didn't mean she disliked him any less.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Now, Tana Jansen is throwing a party on Friday and it's couples only. I told her we were dating so she invited me. She expects you to be there. With me. So, wear something pretty, it starts at 9 and I'll bring you home by 2," Frank explained.

"You told Tana we were dating! That's so gross. And your stupid party? Forget it, I'm not going to pretend to be dating anybody, especially you and especially not in front of everyone from school. You got yourself into that mess, get yourself out." Kim was angry that Frank would first claim she was dating him and second expect her to go along with it. She was tired of him chasing after her, especially when he simultaneously hated her for being a Wasabi Warrior and not a Black Dragon. He really was an idiot.

"Listen-" Frank grabbed Kim's arms and got in her face. "You better go to that party, or you'll pay."

Kim tried to ignore the threatening grip on her arms and change the subject. "Frank, why do you care so much? And why are all your goons here?"

Frank smiled as he remembered the other Black Dragons. "I told them I could get them in if they helped me. And I can't get in without you, so they are here to make sure you do what I say."

Kim looked around nervously as the Black Dragons started to close in around Kim. "See you later, Babe." Frank leaned forward and kissed Kim quickly before throwing her back and backing up for the Black Dragons to attack.

Kim was still processing that Frank has just kissed her and didn't realize that the Black Dragons around her were waiting for her to make a move. She was sitting on the floor and looking up nervously, knowing she was about to be outmatched. They formed a circle around her and she had nowhere to go. It was infuriating to Kim because she knew the Black Dragons knew she wasn't strong enough to take on all of them. They set her up for a painful failure.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Jerry yelled as he walked out of the locker room.

"Why don't we all settle down? Any louder and Rudy will hear from his office," Milton said.

The Black Dragons looked to Rudy's door and glanced at each other nervously. They hadn't accounted for Rudy being there. Of course, he wasn't there but it was the only way Milton knew how to get them out without any physical fighting.

"If Rudy tells Ty we were here my mom is going to ground me. I can't be grounded, let's get out of here," one of them said. The others nodded and quickly rushed out of the dojo, leaving a shaken Kim sitting on the mat.

Kim looked to Milton thankfully. The boys came over to her and helped her up to her feet. "You saved me, Milton. Thanks. I can't believe they believed you."

"No problem, Kim. What did they want with you? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Milton asked.

"No. They didn't hurt me. Yet. Frank was here too. He said he needs me to go on some date with him or something and got the other Black Dragons to back him up," Kim explained.

"What did you tell him?" Jerry asked.

"I obviously said no. Why don't we just get out of here?" Kim asked. The boys agreed and walked home with Kim. When she was laying in bed, unable to fall asleep just like the past 3 weeks, she thought about what Frank demanded earlier and almost laughed. Finally allowing herself a small chuckle, she forgot all about Frank's confrontation.

When Friday rolled around, Milton and Jerry surprised Kim and took her to the mall. Kim was actually very shocked, neither boy ever liked shopping. Of course, they still didn't but they talked together and decided Kim was desperately in need of a pick me up. She was still losing weight, not getting much sleep, and didn't have any other friends. Especially girl friends to go to the mall with.

"Which shirt is better? The plain maroon or the yellow stripes?" Kim asked as she held up two shirts with the same cut.

"Yellow."

"Maroon."

"Hmm… well if you guys can't help me choose, let's talk it out. I have a lot of striped shirts, but I look really good in yellow. And this maroon is super cute too but it's so plain," Kim began. She took a breath to continue but Milton stopped her.

"Honey, I don't care how many striped shirts you have, yellow is definitely your color. Just get it."

"Really? Thanks, Milton," Kim said thoughtfully. She put the maroon shirt back and walked to the changing rooms. She tried on the shirt and turned in the mirror. It hung too low and clung to her arms but loosed around her shoulders. Kim gave the shirt to a worker, deciding it was probably for the best since she didn't want to lug a bag home anyways and walked back out to the boys

"Where'd the shirt go?" Jerry asked.

"It didn't fit right," Kim shrugged.

"Okay. Well, we still haven't gone to H&M, it just past the pretzel kiosk, wanna head over?" Milton asked.

Jerry groaned and Milton punched him in the arm. "Remember, we agreed! I don't really want to be here either!" Milton hissed at Jerry.

"No, it's okay, guys. It's late and shopping, as fun as it is, really tires me out. I think we should just call it a night. Besides, I promised my mom I'd be home before 10."

"I thought your mom was at a late-night retreat?" Milton said.

"She is. But I promised. Plus, sometimes she calls the house phone and she'd know that wasn't home if I didn't answer. Besides, don't the two if you need to get home?" Kim asked, turning her attention to Milton and Jerry.

"Nah, when I told my parents I was going out with friends they told me I wasn't allowed back home until after 8:30 because I quote 'have been severely lacking normal teenage social interactions' unquote," Milton mocked.

"My mom doesn't really care as long as I am there in the morning and don't complain that I'm tired," Jerry shrugged.

"Okay… let's just go, guys. I'm getting tired." Kim yawned right on cue and Milton and Jerry walked on her sides out of the mall.


	8. Chapter 7

The night was cool and quiet. Kim wasn't scared of the dark, but she didn't mind the presence of Milton and Jerry either. When they reached her house she took the small bag of lotions she caved and bought at Bed, Bath, and Body Works and waved goodbye to Milton and Jerry. Kim set the bag on the counter and texted her mom to tell her she was home.

Finally done, Kim slumped onto the couch, ready to be off her feet. Although she hadn't meant to, she fell asleep and was awoken by a knock on the door. She groaned as she thought about getting up but then decided she didn't have to answer the door for anybody.

The knocking persisted and Kim sighed as she made her way to the window to peek at who it was. Right before she got to the window, the door opened. Kim ducked behind the curtains as she tried to see who it was.

"Frank…" she questioned as she stepped out.

Frank looked over at Kim and Kim gasped to see Frank. He looked...angry, maybe even crazed. Frank turned back and closed the door, eyes narrowing in on Kim.

"It's almost 11, Kimmy," he sneered, stepping slowly towards Kim.

Kim rubbed her upper arms as she glanced at the clock to verify Frank. "Yeah. And? What are you doing in my house?"

"And?" Frank mocked. "And I came by at 8:30 and you weren't home!" Frank shouted.

"Why did you come at- oh… you wanted me to be your date to Tana's stupid party," Kim remembered aloud.

"Oh, so now you remember. Well, do you remember what else I said? If you don't come with me?" Kim shook her head, getting scared at what Frank might do in his unstable condition. "I said you'll pay if you don't go. And guess who didn't go!"

Kim took a step back as Frank pointed a shaky finger at her. "You. You didn't go, Kimmy. And now it's time to pay."

"Frank, I totally forgot about that whole thing, and even if I had been home, I still wouldn't go with you. You're a jerk and a big baby, please just get out of my house," Kim said calmly.

"A big baby? Could a baby do this?" Frank stalked towards Kim and punched her square in the jaw. Kim wasn't fast enough to dodge it and stumbled to the side upon impact. Just as Kim regained her balance Frank threw another punch. Kim dipped backward and dodged the punch, but lost her balance and fell. Frank tried to stomp his foot down on Kim and she rolled out of the way. She scurried onto her hands and knees and crawled to the kitchen and hid behind a counter. She quickly pulled out her phone to call for help. She dialed Milton and waited for him to answer.

"Pick up… pick up!" She muttered. She heard footsteps and knew Frank was getting closer. She wasn't sure what exactly Milton would be able to do to help her, but she hoped she could at least let somebody know she was in danger.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system. The number is not available at this time, please leave a message after the beep. Beeeep."

Kim breathed out and quickly whispered a message for Milton to hopefully get soon. "Milton it's Kim. Frank is in my house and he is mad because tonight I was supposed to be his date to Tana's party but I wasn't here. He is totally flipping out and I'm really scared, Milton. He's stronger than I've ever seen him and I'm already not in shape plus I'm exhausted from shopping and I can't fight him-" The phone started beeping quietly to alert Kim that her time was almost up and she quickly blurted the only thing she knew that could save her. "Get Jack!" She cried.

The message ended and Kim prayed Milton saw. She pulled up her messages as fast as she could and texted a bunch of gibberish to Milton to get his phone buzzing since she didn't have time to form comprehensible words with Frank so close.

"There you are!" Frank turned the corner and found Kim, sitting on the kitchen floor with her phone, huddled in a small ball. "Who are you calling!" He demanded.

"No-body. I wasn't calling a-anybody," Kim stuttered.

"Liar!" Frank shouted. He snatched Kim's phone away and kicked her stomach. Kim held her stomach while Frank grabbed her thin arms and picked her up. He slammed her against the fridge and Kim hit her head. The room started to spin and Kim got a horrible headache.

"What, too weak to fight back? No friends," Frank lifted Kim off the fridge and slammed her back again. "No karate," he slammed her again. "And no one to protect you." The last slam hurt bad and Kim started to cry.

"Frank… please! It h-hurts!" She sobbed.

Frank chuckled at Kim's pain and dropped her to the ground. Kim pulled herself up and tried to kick Frank, but he caught her foot and pushed her back. Deciding there was nothing she could do to fight him, Kim scooted away to hide until help came. Frank saw she was trying to get away and grabbed her hair. He pulled her back as she screamed in pain. Kim's high-pitched scream hurt Frank's ears and he momentarily dropped Kim. He grunted angrily and slapped her.

Frank started to look around the house and pulled out one of the kitchen chairs. He placed it in the middle of the room and walked back over to Kim. Frank pulled out a roll of duct tape he found and put it on Kim's mouth to keep her quiet. Kim tried to rip it off but Frank took hold of her arms before she had the chance. He carried Kim to the chair and pushed her onto it. Kim wiggled as much as she could, trying to deter Frank, but it only made him madder.

"Move one more time and I'll hit you so hard you don't remember your own name. Got it?" he asked. Kim nodded and stopped moving. She let Frank sit her down and then tape her wrists together behind her back and ankles to the legs of the chair. Restrained by multiple loops of duct tape, Kim was scared for what Frank could do.

Frank started to pace around Kim slowly, touching and pulling her hair as he walked. "Now the question is: what to do with you?" he said slowly.

"I could tell you how sad I was when my date stood me up tonight and then leave you to your thoughts," Frank suggested. "I could be mad at you and beat you until there is nothing left to beat." Frank looked to see Kim's reaction to that idea and smiled when Kim shivered. "Or, maybe I could be forgiving and just let you go." Frank paused and stopped walking when he was in front of Kim. "Nah, then I wouldn't get my happy ending!"

Frank grabbed Kim's face and held it right in front of his own. "Here is what I want to do. I want you to go to that party with me, whether you like it or not. And I also want you to pay for making me so late!" Frank started to get mad again and punched Kim. "So, tell me, where might I find your dress for tonight?"

Kim's eyes bulged at the idea of Frank anywhere near her and a dress. He would have to go to her room and not even Jack, Jerry, or Milton had been upstairs, let around in her room.

"I guess you'll have to show me, won't you!" Frank stomped behind Kim and grabbed the back of the chair she was on and lifted her up. Kim would have screamed had her mouth not been taped.

As Frank carried her upstairs, Kim shook with fear. She wasn't sure how long the duct tape would hold and was scared she might fall off the chair. She was forced to watched helplessly as Frank held her life in his right hand. When Frank reached the top of the stairs Kim closed her eyes and said a silent prayer thanking God that she was still on that cursed chair.

Frank studied the doors upstairs and walked towards the door that was cracked open. When he walked closer he looked inside and saw a bed with blue walls and pictures all over the walls, a desk and chair, and a shelf of karate trophies.

"Bingo!" He burst into the room and set Kim down as he looked for her dresser. He found it and opened the top drawer. Kim tried to stop him but her muffled voice didn't carry to Frank's ears. He looked down for a second before reaching in and laughing. When Frank's hand re-emerged, he held one of Kim's bras, dangling on his finger. "Well, what do we have here?"

Kim watched, humiliated, as Frank studied the clothing. Finally, Frank closed the drawer and opened another. He opened all the drawers but didn't find any dresses. "Where are they!" He yelled.

Kim would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't been so scared. How was she supposed to tell him if she was gagged?

"Do you have any in your dresser?" Frank asked. Kim shook her head.

"Do you have any dresses?" Kim nodded slowly.

"Are they in your room?" Kim nodded again, slowly, so she could stall.

Frank looked around and his eyes landed on a sliding door. "Are they in there?" He asked. Kim looked to see what he was looking at and slowly nodded, disappointed that it didn't take Frank too long to figure it out.

Frank turned Kim to face the closet and opened the doors. He started to pick through all the clothes she had hanging up and found her small collection of dresses at the end. "Ahh, here they are!" He beamed and looked back at Kim to show her how proud he was.

Frank pulled out a plain blue dress with a small cutout on the chest and held it up to the sitting Kim. He seemed to notice the problem with her sitting down and found a small pair of scissors on her desk. He cut Kim's ankles free from the chair and taped them to each other so she was no longer attached to the chair. He kicked the chair from under her and Kim fell on the ground. Frank pulled her up to stand and held the dress up to her again.

"No, not this one." He dropped the dress on the ground and turned back to the closet to pull out another dress that went all the way to her ankles. He held it up to Kim and snorted. "Definitely not this one." He dropped it again and Kim started to get angry at the mess Frank was starting to make.

He turned to the closet a third time and looked for a better dress. Something shiny caught his eye and he moved the clothes out of the way to reveal a rainbow sequin dress. He smiled and pulled it out immediately. When he spun around and Kim saw what he picked out she groaned. It was the ugliest dress she had ever seen. She'd had it since she was little. It was a gift for Christmas or her birthday, but it was too big at the time and she had always hated dresses and it was way too sparkly.

Of course Frank, being the childish guy he way, thought it was perfect. He held it up to Kim and smiled again. "This is the one, babe. You're going to look amazing." It had been big when Kim first got it, but now that she was older it was definitely not her size. It would be a tight fit and the tutu-like skirt that was meant to come to her knees would probably not quite reach mid-thigh.

Frank took the dress off the hanger and put the dress on the bed. He grabbed Kim's waist and threw her over his shoulder and picked the dress back up. He carried her back downstairs and every time he went through a door or a thin hallway, managed to hit Kim's head on the wall. Kim couldn't tell if it was purposeful or not, but it did hurt.

When Frank made it downstairs, he threw Kim onto the couch and threw the dress next to her. "Hmm… how to do this. I can't untie you and let you change yourself, you haven't been a good girl tonight. I guess I'll have to do it myself," Frank smirked. "Don't worry, I won't try anything right now, we have to get to the party before it ends." Frank laughed at his own joke and moved towards Kim. "But I can't make any promises for after!"

Kim knew Frank was stronger than her but that didn't stop her from struggling like a madwoman. She shook her arms and legs as much as she could to try and loosen the tape. More than anything, Kim wanted to scream. She brought her knees as high as she could and then maneuvered her arms under her legs and brought her wrist to the front of her body instead of the back. She quickly pulled the tape off her mouth and spoke.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed.

Frank angrily punched Kim and pushed her arms deep into the couch. He continued to hold her down with his left forearm and his right hand grabbed the fabric on her shirt. Doing what she had been taught to do since her father let her walk home alone for the first time, Kim kicked Frank as hard as she could where it hurts.

Frank cried out and fell back and Kim stumbled off the couch. She used the arm of the couch to stand up and then raised her arms above her head. She quickly brought her arms down to her knees to try and break the duct tape. She had been told and seen more than once different ways to get out of duct tape or zip ties or other restraints. Her father was a little over the top protective, probably because he wasn't able to be around as much because of work. But her mother agreed that she needed to be prepared for anything just in case, "being a girl in this day and age" and all that.

Her first try, the duct tape didn't break, but the second try Kim managed to rip it. She cried out when it came undone, the strong adhesive pulling at her skin, but she was free. Except for her ankles. She sat down quickly and fumbled with the tape, trying to find some way she could get it undone. Suddenly she realized Frank wasn't moaning in pain anymore but before she could turn around he grabbed a fist of her hair and pulled her up.

"No!" Kim screamed. She tried to grabbed Frank's arm and relieve some of the pain on her scalp.

Kim started to blackout and tried as hard as she could to remain conscious, she didn't trust Frank not to do anything if she fainted. Suddenly, Frank released Kim and she crashed to the floor. Kim looked up to see what happened and saw Jack standing there, looking ready to kill Frank.

"J-Jack," Kim choked out.

"What are you doing here!" Frank yelled.

"I saw the blinding glow of an idiot and followed it here," Jack shrugged.

Frank didn't know how to respond to that with words and instead he grabbed Kim again and held an arm around her waist, lifting her off her feet.

"Let go, Frank," Jack said.

"Sorry, Jack. Kim and I were just about to head out, see you later!" Frank said. He turned around, still holding Kim, and grabbed the horrendous dress off the couch.

"No, let go of me! I'm not going to Tana's party with you. And I'm not putting on that stupid dress!" Kim grunted as she tried to wriggle out of Frank's arm.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll help you put it on," Frank whispered in Kim's ear.

Kim let out a cry of desperation and fell out of Frank's arms. "Stop doing that!" Frank grunted. He kicked Kim and she cried as she flew back and hit the side of an armchair. Frank raised a fist to punch her again. Before he made contact, Jack stepped in and grabbed his fist.

"You probably shouldn't have done that." Jack twisted Frank around and kicked him down before he knew what hit him. Jack reached down to Frank before he could get up and grabbed his ear. "Listen to me, Frank. If you ever break into Kim's house while she's alone again, if you ever touch her, or harm her again, I will personally see to it that you pay."

Frank pulled his head away from Jack and angrily tried to kick him in the head. Jack blocked it and pushed his leg aside. Frank then tried to punch Jack and Jack blocked it again. Jack directed a kick towards Frank's feet and he fell on his face. Frank onto his back and jumped up. He kicked again and Jack ducked to the side, then quickly kicked the back of the only leg Frank was standing on. Frank fell again and hit his head on the floor. He used the wall as a clutch and charged at Jack. Jack used Frank's momentum to send him back to the wall with a thud. Jack ran up to Frank and pinned his against the wall. He punched his face and blocked all of Frank's attempts at a hit. When Jack kicked Frank's chest with an impossibly strong kick, Frank held a hand up in surrender and the other he placed on his chest while he struggled to breathe.

"Okay, you win!" He coughed. He ran out before Jack could do anything else to him. Only when he heard the front door slam shut did Jack look for Kim.


	9. Chapter 8

**So sorry my updates got really spotty all the sudden. School started and we immediately jumped into homework and tests and I've just been so busy I have not had more than a few free minutes at a time. With all my stories, I like to have 80%-100% done before I ever post so I don't ever leave a story online that is unfinished. Today I wrote the last chapter of this story so as long as I have time to post, the last few chapters should come at regular-ish intervals. Enjoy!**

* * *

Jack finally found Kim in front of the couch, crying silently and trying to get her ankles free. Kim saw his feet and looked up at Jack's face. She had witnessed his fight with Frank and honestly he scared her. She knew he was strong and fast. She had sparred with him many times. She also had been beat up by him a few times more recently. But even then he wasn't that strong and fast. The past few weeks he had improved exponentially, and now he was standing right in front of her, at her most vulnerable time.

Kim whimpered and tried to scoot away from Jack. Jack reached out and tried to comfort her. "Hey, it's okay, Princess." When he used his new nickname Kim almost burst into full on sobs again. Jack cursed himself for using the name he had gotten so accustomed to and put his hands up to show Kim he wasn't going to hurt her. "Sorry, Kim. It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"B-but you-you hate m-me," Kim sputtered. Her lip was trembling and she was shaking all over.

Jack couldn't take it anymore. He sat down on the couch behind Kim and pulled her up. Kim still wasn't sure Jack wasn't going to hurt her and screamed. Jack put a hand over Kim's mouth and removed it when she stopped screaming.

"Kim I'm not here to hurt you! If I was, I wouldn't have chased Frank out of here, I would have offered to help him beat you up!" Jack told her.

Kim thought it over and realized Jack wasn't going to hurt her.

"Okay?" Jack asked.

Kim nodded. "Okay," she said as she sniffed back her tears.

"Let me get all this tape off of you," Jack said as he took in how much tape Frank used on Kim.

Jack pulled Kim's legs onto his lap and ripped the duct tape. He peeled it off her skin quickly, but Kim still hissed in pain. He balled it all up, adding the tape on her wrists and face, and tossed it aside.

Jack wasn't sure what to do next, but one look at Kim's scared face told him exactly what to do. "Come here, Kim." He held his arms out and Kim snuggled into his side.

Jack rubbed Kim's back and held her close. She had always been small and he had noticed she had lost a lot of weight recently, but she was just so small. He was scared he might crush her or break her with the slightest movement.

"Should we take this dress back to your room?" Jack asked hesitantly. He only wanted to help her but realized she might get a different message after he said it. He had never been to her room before.

"Yeah, my room is a mess though," Kim replied into Jack shirt. Jack nodded and stood up with Kim in his arms. He found the dress on the floor and picked it up too. When Jack got to the top of the stairs, he immediately knew Kim's room. The door was wide open and from his angle there was quite a mess. Jack sat Kim on the bed and laid the dress next to her. He found a hanger in the closet and put it back. Then he picked up the other dresses and hangers and put all of them back too.

"Why are you helping me?" Kim asked.

"Because you were in no condition to defend yourself against Frank. And he was hurting you. It wasn't fair. Besides, I think you owe me an explanation of what happened here. Why is there a kitchen chair in your room?" Jack asked.

"Frank taped me to it," Kim told him.

Jack gave her a confused look and Kim started over. "Tana Jansen is throwing a big party tonight. Frank got himself invited because he said we were together. The only way he could go was if I went with him. I said no and totally forgot that it was tonight. Milton and Jerry took me shopping today at the mall and we were out late and I was getting kind of tired and they walked me home and-oh my gosh! Are they okay! Milton didn't answer the phone, maybe Frank got to them first! And they can't beat-"

Jack put his hand out to stop him. "They're fine, don't worry. Milton and Jerry are the ones who told me you were in trouble. Now finish the story."

"But where are they now?"

"I'll tell you later, now finish the story."

Kim sighed. "Fine. After they left I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke up Frank was at the door. He walked in and started yelling at me because I wasn't here when he came to pick me up. He started chasing me and hitting me and then he taped me to the chair. He said he still wanted to go to the party and that I needed to get dressed. He brought me to my room and started going through all my dresses and picked that awful sparkly dress from when I was like 8. Then when we went back downstairs he started to get really gross and I tried to get away but he was too strong. And then he almost got me but then you came…" Kim trailed off as she tried to hold in her tears.

Jack put his hand under Kim's chin and moved her face to look him in the eye. "You're okay, now, Kim. Frank and the other Black Dragons aren't going to touch you again. You're safe."

Kim pulled back a little and looked away all but saying she didn't agree with Jack.

"What? What is it, you don't think you're safe? Who is it?" Jack asked. "Did somebody hurt you?"

"Well…"

"Kim, tell me. Who is it?"

"Well…"

"Kim!"

"Jack, the whole reason any of this started was because you left us!" Kim shouted. "And then you got meaner and meaner and then _you_ started hurting me and you seem just fine right now but how do I know you won't snap and hit me all the sudden!"

Jack was taken aback by what Kim said but knew she was justified. He hadn't had time to explain himself yet, she was probably terrified. Heck, an hour ago he would have jumped at the chance to belittle and humiliate Kim.

"Kim, I'm so sorry. Please let me explain. It's kind of a lot, okay? Just let me get it all out," Jack started.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"When you and Brenden started hanging out, it did something to me, Kim-"

"Hold on, this is about you Jack. You don't need to bring me or my past relationships into it," Kim demanded.

"I know, Kim, but this is when it started. Just let me explain. When you were with Brenden, as friends at first, I was disappointed that you weren't spending as much time with me and the guys. And then you started going on dates and suddenly you were kissing and holding hands and it hit me like a truck. I wanted to pummel him so badly. I didn't want you to be with anybody because I was afraid they would hurt you and take you away from us… and maybe me too.

"When you went with Brenden on that date at Phil's, and you found out he was cheating on you, he looked like he was ready to pound you, Kim. I was scared. Not just for you, but for anybody who had to be on the receiving end of his anger. And then I was mad at you because you didn't listen when I tried to tell you Brenden would be trouble and then I had to deal with him when I really didn't want to."

"Why did you, then? You didn't have to, nobody was forcing you," Kim asked.

"Of course I had to, Kim! It was you! I couldn't just let him kill you. If it had been some random person, I'd have saved them too, you know that. It's just that, when Brenden knocked me out, and I lost my memory, I got _really _confused. When you tried to help and explained what happened, I started to remember how I felt right before. I had felt betrayed and angry though. And I knew I was angry at you, and I was starting to remember what happened, but my head hurt so much trying to remember. I ran home because I didn't know what was happening.

"By the next morning, I pretty much remembered everything important. But I didn't remember right. All my feelings towards you and the guys were so strong, but I didn't know what it was. But then you had said I was angry at you and it felt right so my brain figured all the strong feelings I had towards you guys was this… this hatred." Jack started to tear up and Kim reached out and squeezed his hand.

"I went along with it, for weeks. I knew something wasn't right but my head hurt when I thought too much about my feelings towards you guys. Then tonight Milton and Jerry seemed so worried they begged me to come check on you and for some reason I agreed. I guess I knew it was the right thing to do even if you were my sworn enemy. So I came. And then when I got here I walked in and saw Frank hurting you and you… crying. Something in me changed and I could feel my whole body realign. All the sudden my strong feelings of hate towards you turned to… well I don't know. Back to what is used to be I guess," Jack shrugged.

"What did it used to be, Jack?"

"Friendship?" Jack guessed. "It doesn't feel the same though Kim. I know it's right, but it's not like with the guys. Kim- I think I like you. Like… I like like you." Jack looked away sheepishly and Kim started straight ahead.

Breaking the silence, she turned back to Jack. "Jack? I think I like like you too…"

Jack smiled big and hugged Kim close to him. She hugged back and they sat silent in each other's arms for awhile.

"Kim…" Jack pulled back and stared at something behind Kim, worried.

"What?" She asked quickly.

"Why is your bra on the ground? It's right by those where those dresses were… I swear if Frank-" Jack had started shouting and tensing up as he stood. Kim places a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back down.

"He didn't do anything like that, Jack. Okay?"

"...but he did do something?"

"I never said that-"

"You said, and I quote, 'anything like that.' You didn't say 'anything at all,' Kim. So what did he do!" Jack was standing again and had his fists in a tight fist, ready to punch the first person who wronged him, or Kim, for that matter.

"He was looking for my dresses and he didn't know where they were and I couldn't tell him because he taped my mouth. He opened the top drawer which is where I keep all my… underwear… and he pulled out my bra. Okay? That's it," Kim tried to tell him.

"Yeah well I don't like the idea that he had anything to do with your underwear, whether you were wearing it or not. That's an invasion of your privacy and highly inappropriate!"

"Jack, please calm down. You're kind of scaring me and Frank didn't rape me, okay?"

Jack looked down at Kim and un-tensed. "I'm sorry, you're right Kim. Listen, I'm really really sorry about everything. I totally understand if you hate me."

"Jack, I don't hate you. What you did to me was wrong, but I know you weren't in your right mind. I'm just glad you're back, we can work the rest out later." Kim snaked her arms around Jack and fell into a hug. Jack wrapped his arms around Kim and set her back on the bed.


	10. Chapter 9

**Extra long chapter because the cut off would have been weird. It's your lucky day! Oh yeah, by the way, I was really into Psych when I wrote this chapter so you may catch a mention-it won't affect your understanding of the story if you don't watch Psych though, this isn't a crossover. **

* * *

Jack looked Kim over and shook his head. He had hurt her. All this was his fault. Jack noticed a bruise starting to form on Kim's face and touched it gently. Before he knew it, his hands brushed over her face, her arms, her torso, her legs.

"Jack! I'm fine," Kim tried to tell him.

"Sorry, Kim. I should stop…" He looked down in embarrassment.

"Yeah, maybe you should," Kim agreed.

Jack got up but Kim grabbed his hand before he left. "Stay?"

Jack looked at Kim, the dried tears, red eyes, purple discoloration, and agreed. He sat down next to Kim. "How can I help you?"

"I don't know, Jack. I'm tired. I just want to forget this whole night. I want to know what happened to Frank. You scaring him isn't enough, he can't just get away without any consequences. And what happened to Milton and Jerry, you said you'd tell me. And what time is it, my mom is supposed to come home tonight-"

"Kim," Jack chuckled. "One thing at a time. Milton and Jerry are dealing with Frank. They went to get help. I think they said they are telling Rudy and his mother. And it's almost 11:30 when is your mom-" Jack was cut off by sirens that got increasingly louder until red and blue lights danced in the window. "They must have called the cops," Jack decided.

Someone knocked on the door and Jack walked Kim back downstairs. Jack opened the door and Kim saw the police.

"Are you Kimberly Crawford?" one asked.

"Kim," she corrected.

"Sorry. Can we speak to you about a Frank Bickle?"

Kim cleared her throat and nodded.

"We got a call from some of your friends, Jerry, Milton, and Judy?"

Jack stifled a laugh and Kim smack him. "Rudy?" She clarified.

"Sorry, that sounds right. Is anybody else here?"

"No, it's just us, my parents aren't home right now."

"Can we come in and talk, then?"

Kim stepped to the side with Jack to let them in. "Sure. Uh, right this way." Kim led the cops to the living room and they seemed to immediately notice that something had happened in there.

"Miss, what exactly happened?"

Kim opened her mouth to explain but no words came out. Jack saw her predicament and started her off. "Frank lied to a girl earlier this week and said he and Kim were dating."

Kim nodded and thanked Jack quietly before continuing. "He wanted me to go to a party with him…" Kim explained the whole night as best she could and by the end of it the officers had taken several notes.

"How old are you, Kim?"

"16."

"Okay, and how old is Frank?"

Kim tried to remember but wasn't exactly sure how old Frank was, he was held back a lot in school. Jack thought about it too and remembered before Kim could. "He's 20. I think." Jack coughed awkwardly when everyone turned to him, suddenly remembering he was there.

"Okay, so, because Mr. Bickle is an adult, he will be tried as such and if you intend to press charges they will be much more severe." The other officers nodded and scribbled something down in their notebooks.

"Miss Crawford, could I speak to you in the kitchen? Woman to woman?" the lady officer asked.

Kim nodded nervously and shot Jack a confused look. Jack squeezed her hand and pulled her up. Kim followed the cop into the kitchen and sat down on the island stools.

"My name is Detective O'Hara and I know it can be awkward with so many people, but we do need to know, did Frank touch you inappropriately? Did he do anything to you?" The Lady seemed sincere and Kim was shocked by how she felt like she could tell the lady anything and she would listen to it all.

"No, he's really just a little boy in a big body, he wouldn't purposefully do anything like that. He is actually really weird, I don't understand him. He has had a stupid crush on me for a while, but he also hates me because I betrayed him," Kim explained.

"Betrayed?" Detective O'Hara asked.

"Yeah. Uhh, Jack, Frank, and I all do karate. A few years ago, when Jack moved in, I quit the Black Dragon dojo and joined the Bobby Wasabi dojo. I've been there ever since but the Black Dragons and we have never got along and now they all kind of blame me for their poor performance."

"Why did you switch dojos?"

"The Black Dragons weren't the most… honorable. They focused on all the wrong things, Rudy, our new Sensei, teaches us loyalty and honesty," Kim explained.

"Well, it sounds like you have a great teacher. And that Jack boy is pretty cute too." The cop winked and Kim smiled sadly. "Oh, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Kim shook her head. "No, it's just…" Kim paused. She could tell this woman everything. It's kind of strange, she didn't know this woman, but she didn't know who else she could tell. Her mother wasn't an option and she couldn't talk to Jack about Jack. Rudy was too childish, Milton and Jerry already knew so much but they didn't quite understand. She wasn't close to anyone else at school, she just needed someone to listen. So she spilled everything and put it all on the table.

"It's just that a while ago, I was dating a boy named Brenden…" Kim told her everything. How she and Brenden happened so suddenly. How Jack didn't approve. How Brenden cheated. How they fought. How Jack stepped in and lost his memory. How he changed. How he started to bully her. How she lost weight and sleep. How other bullies noticed. How she had to stop karate. How Milton and Jerry were her only friends. How she didn't tell her mom or dad anything. How Frank and the Black Dragons threatened her. How she forgot and then Frank broke in. How Jack saved the day and explained everything.

"And I want to believe him so bad, I think I do, but he hurt me and I know it's bad to go into an abusive relationship but I think he's back to normal and I don't know what to do because I-I think I love him!" Kim dropped her head into her hands and felt a hand on her back.

"Oh sweetie, that's a lot for one girl to handle. Heck, if that happened to me that'd be a lot to handle. But, I can see where you're coming from. I think you are doing a fine job handling it though. You're right not to jump right into something, baby steps are the right steps for now. After everything you've told me, I think Jack has got to feel awfully guilty. Let him know you will give him a chance to fix it. You guys can't just ignore what happened, even if he wasn't in his right mind, but you can move past it. Just take it slow, build something new, okay?"

Kim sat up and looked Detective O'Hara in the eye. "Small steps, something new," Kim repeated. "Okay," she nodded. "Okay, I think I can do that. Thank you."

"No problem. I always wanted a niece or a daughter to give advice to. Of course, I was thinking more along the lines of a simple crush," she joked. "I think we're about done here, we have officers looking for Frank that are going to bring him in. If we need you, we'll call you. Do you need anything else before we go back to the station?" O'Hara questioned. Kim shook her head slightly. "How 'bout a hug?" O'Hara asked. She held her arms out but Kim didn't feel awkward or pressured to indulge her, but she did gladly accept the offer.

The hug reassured Kim that life wasn't a complete waste. It was going to be okay. It was all part of the rollercoaster ride; the downs make the ups possible and the ups make the downs possible. If she and Jack wanted to be friends, or more, they could figure it out, in time.

After her heart to heart with Detective O'Hara, an EMT checked Kim out to make sure she didn't have any major injuries. Aside from bruising, Frank hadn't hurt her too badly. Her mom came home and was shocked to find the police cars surrounding their house. She was equally shocked to see Kim and Jack together. Jack wasn't sure what Kim had told her mom and was extremely nervous he would be scolded and kicked out. However, Kim just told her mom Jack was back and they were working some things out. Hopefully, they could be friends again.

The police filled in Mrs. Crawford about what had happened, and what they were doing and soon enough they were on their way. Frank had been found and arrested. He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, 10 to a cause of Kim's choosing. He was also expected to spend the rest of the school year and the upcoming summer at an anger management camp. To say the least, he was out of the picture and with the old Jack, Kim was starting to feel like herself again.

* * *

"Hey Kim, you wanna get some burgers after practice?" Jack asked as he started to unwrap his hands.

"Jack, we ate like an hour ago," Kim countered.

"Yeah, but it wasn't burgers. And I'm hungry. Come on, please!" Jack begged.

"Fine, just let me get my stuff." After Kim gathered her homework, still not allowed to actually practice, and walked out with Jack to Circus Burger.

"I'll take a number 2, fries as the side," Jack said. The cashier put Jack's order in and turned to Kim.

"And for you?" He asked.

"Uh, I'll have a 4, no side or drink though. Just a cup of water."

Jack turned to Kim and gave her an unimpressed look. "A salad? Kim, just, why?"

"I want a salad, Jack!"

"Kim, at least get something else. A side or a drink. You need to eat!" Jack argued.

"Fine, I'll get a grilled cheese instead. With a fruit cup on the side," Kim asked, glaring at Jack the whole time.

Jack smiled and patted Kim's back. "That's better."

After Jack paid he led Kim to one of the booths and sat opposite her. Jack set the food down to the side and placed Kim's food in front of her, and his in front of himself. He quickly devoured his burger and his fries were gone almost as quickly.

"Hungry much?" Kim joked.

"I could eat at least 3 more burgers, Kim." Jack turned his attention to Kim's food and then looked back up at her. "You, on the other hand, need to eat more."

Kim rolled her eyes as she picked out another grape from her fruit cup. Jack eyed Kim's half-eaten sandwich and picked it up. He grabbed Kim's hand and pulled it away from her mouth, shoving the sandwich in its place.

"Eat!" he commanded.

Kim turned her face to the side but Jack was quick and held the sandwich to her lips. "Ja-mmfph!" When Kim tried to speak Jack shoved the sandwich into Kim's newly opened mouth. Kim's eyes widened and she tried to pull the sandwich and Jack's hands away from her mouth. She bit down and pushed Jack's hands away while she chewed. Jack smirked as he watched Kim finally eat.

"See, that wasn't hard. And now that you know how to eat, you can do it without me feeding you!" Jack exclaimed.

Kim finally swallowed and put her hand out before Jack could stuff her face again. "Okay, I get it! You want me to eat! Geez, I'm not a baby, Jack!"

"Oh, of course you're not a baby, Kimmy." Jack smiled mischievously as he leaned closer to a skeptical Kim. "Because if you were a baby, you would actually be ticklish when I do this!" Jack reached his arms out and tickled Kim from across the table.

Kim shrieked and laughed, begging Jack to stop. She was bent over and had almost fallen off the bench when Jack finally relented.

"Not fair, Jack!" Kim laughed.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'll let you eat now," Jack replied, smiling.

"Thank you!" Kim nodded as she turned her attention back to her food.

Jack chuckled to himself as he watched Kim eat. The longer she ate, the more she got into her food. By the time she was finishing her sandwich, she was full-on dancing.

"That good?" Jack asked.

Kim became aware that she was dancing and her cheeks reddened. Jack laughed again and Kim rolled her eyes back.

"You done?" Jack asked as he gathered trash. Kim nodded and thanked Jack. He came back to the table and gave Kim a hand as she stood up. Kim took it gratefully and soon realized that Jack hadn't let go yet. She took a step and noticed Jack still held her hand. By now the moment of letting go had come and gone and if Kim pulled her hand away, it would make the situation awkward. Wanting to avoid such a situation, Kim decided to let Jack make the next move. Jack seemed to realize it and smiled inwardly. Jack started to walk out of Circus Burger and Kim walked next to him, still holding his hand.

"Do you want to go home or…" Jack looked to Kim to see what she wanted to do.

"Yeah, let's go home," Kim answered.

Jack seemed to deflate a bit at the thought that their night would be ending relatively soon.

"But, let's take the long way home," Kim added.

Jack and Kim talked all the way to the park where they stopped on the way to Kim's house. It was dusk and a slight breeze rustled the trees. Jack led Kim to a bench and they sat, looking out at the nature around them. A strong breeze sent a shiver through Kim and for the first time since Circus Burger, Jack let go of Kim's hand to wrap his arm around Kim. He pulled her into his side and rubbed her arms with his hands to warm her up a bit.

"Hey, I've been thinking," Kim started.

Jack chuckled. "Uh oh," he joked.

Kim sent a playful glare at him and continued. "After your accident, did you ever regret anything you did?"

"Of course, Kim. I regret every single thing I did every single day. I would never wish for you to be hurt the way I hurt you." Jack looked intently at Kim, he still felt so guilty about everything. He knew he could never fix it, but he wanted Kim to know how much he wishes it hadn't happened.

Kim sighed. "I know you're sorry now. I meant before the night with Frank. Like, while it was happening. Like, how about the day that you… that you attacked me in the classroom?"

Jack suddenly tensed. That day was probably the worst day of his life, the worst moments of his life. Kim's voice was so small asking him, he was reminded of how fragile she seemed at times. "Kim, we've been over this. We agreed not to bring that up," Jack replied sternly.

"But Jack-"

"Kim!"

Kim looked up at Jack and saw the pain in his eyes. It was clear he was trying to push his own memories to the pit of his brain. Kim put a hand on Jack's cheek and pulled his face down to look at hers.

"Jack," she said softly. "Please, stop. We've been trying to move past this, not forget it, remember? It happened. You can't change that. You can't take back those awful things you said. You can't undo all those times you hit me. You can't." Jack started to get riled up again and Kim quickly continued. "But you can change what you do now. Since you admitted everything, you haven't said a single mean or rude thing to me. You haven't hit me outside of the dojo. You haven't pushed me. You've haven't harmed me in any way. That tells me you've changed, Jack. I know you aren't going to hurt me anymore, I need you to know that too."

"Kim, I can't. Why does it matter anyway?" Jack asked, trying to push it back again.

"Jack, as soon as you know it, we can talk about what happened!"

"But why do we need to talk about it! It's just opening an old wound, Kim. Pointless and painful."

"No, not pointless. Yes, maybe a little painful, but if I forgive you and you forgive yourself, it will be less painful."

Jack blinked. "You forgive me?" he repeated.

Kim suddenly realized she hadn't outright told Jack that she forgave him. It had been a gradual process, but she knew with surety now that she did forgive him. "Yes, Jack. I forgive you. You need to forgive yourself too, okay?"

Without warning, Jack pulled Kim into his arms. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other held her head. He buried his face into her hair and Kim realized he was crying. She wrapped her arms around Jack and rubbed his back until he pulled away.

"You're the most amazing person, Kim. Do you know that?" Jack said as he held Kim's arms in his hands. Kim smiled sweetly and wiped the tears from Jack's face.

"I love you, Jack."

Jack smiled. "I love you too, Kim."

They both looked at each other, then at the others' lips. "Screw it," Jack muttered. He pulled Kim towards him and silenced her squeal when his lips fell on hers. Shocked, Kim pulled back and exhaled. She looked back up at Jack and this time, she took him by surprise and kissed him.

When Kim pulled back to breathe, Jack chuckled. "Kim, listen, I just want to get this all out now, okay?"

"Okay…" Kim wasn't sure exactly where Jack was going. He could be about to tell her he has mono, or he could be saying something really sweet, or he could say they can never be together or a million different possibilities.

"After the incident, I knew what I was doing was wrong. I still had morals-well that's not true. I knew what good morals were, but I just didn't care. Anyways, those moments that I hurt you. Like when I was actually saying those mean things or when I was locking you in Rudy's office, or when I was hitting you, all I felt was hate. I couldn't control myself when I was doing those things, it was like there was a blanket over everything except the ability to hurt.

"But after those moments, in between, I felt what I did. I knew it was wrong and I think, no, I know I knew you didn't deserve it. My memory was the same. I remembered everything, even our good times. I remembered what really happened with Brenden. I knew how it started and that it wasn't your fault even though I said it was. I had no excuse. I just couldn't snap out of it. And that's why I'm so sorry, Kim. I knew it was wrong, I knew I shouldn't be doing it. I knew it was hurting you. I knew you didn't deserve it. I knew I was being insane. I knew everything I know now. So yes, I did regret it, but I also kept doing it. I'm sorry, Kim."

"Thank you. For telling me that. My forgiveness still holds, in case you thought anything changed. I'm just glad you're finally opening up about that. It feels better doesn't it?" Kim asked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, it was good to finally admit that to you."

"Good. You answered a hard question, do you have anything you've been wanting to ask me? After that I think you deserve a hard answer," Kim said.

"Yeah, actually. Ever since you did it, well, didn't do it, I've been wondering. Why didn't you ever tell anybody? Why did you really lie in the principal's office? Why didn't you tell your parents, or your friends, or Rudy? You could have gotten rid of me so fast, you could have prevented so much pain if you had just told."

Kim sighed and took a moment to think before she spoke. What she had to say was important and she didn't want Jack taking it the wrong way. "Because of right now. All that stuff happened and yet here we are, right now. Together, talking, not hurting each other. Even though you were different, I knew you were still in there. I knew something was telling you what was right and wrong. If I had told, I wasn't sure I'd get the old Jack back. I was afraid you would be sent away and we might not be allowed to ever see each other again. I wanted the new Jack gone, but I want the old Jack back even more. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you for good." Kim shifted in her seat as Jack processed this new information.

"I get that. Just, can you promise me that if this ever happens again, that you won't let me hurt you like that again? Please? Tell Rudy if you have to. You shouldn't have to be anybody's punching bag," Jack said.

"Jack, that won't happen again, okay? You're back for good-"

"Please just promise me. It would make me feel so much better, Kim."

Kim nodded. "Fine. I promise I'll tell Rudy if it comes to it. Which it won't. But I promise. But it's a pointless promise because it will never happen."

Jack hugged Kim again and rubbed her arm. "That's my girl." Kim smiled and let Jack hold her as she started to close her eyes.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Kim. It's getting a little chilly out here anyways, why don't we head home?" Jack asked.

"I'm too tired," Kim mumbled.

"Kim, it's not even 8 yet. Come on," Jack said.

"Carry me…"

Jack raised an eyebrow but Kim still had her eyes closed and couldn't see. Kim hated to be carried, she must be delirious.

"I don't know, Kim. Your house is still far away. Oh well, let's see how heavy you are," Jack said as he lifted Kim in his arms.

Kim realized Jack picked her up and her eyes immediately opened.

"Oh! Never mind, I guess I can carry you the whole way. You can go back to sleep, Kimmy," Jack said as he looked at Kim's now opened eyes.

"I'm awake, Jack. I was just resting my eyelids. You can put me down, now."

"But Kim, what if you fall asleep at this very park, on this very bench sometime in the future. I need to know if I can actually carry you all the way home or if I should just leave you there and pick you up in the morning."

Kim gasped. "You would leave me there!"

"Of course not! I was only kidding! Now, let's see how fast I can get you home!" Jack took off running and Kim clung to him for dear life, trying not to scream and disrupt the entire neighborhood. When Jack reached Kim's house, he set her down and held her in his arms for another hug.

"Say it again," Jack asked quietly.

"Say what?" Kim asked.

"That you forgive me," Jack replied sheepishly.

Kim smiled and looked into Jack's eyes. "I forgive you, Jack. I forgive you, and I love you." Kim stood on her toes and kissed Jack quickly. "Goodnight."

Jack smiled and leaned down, kissing Kim quickly. "I love you, too. Goodnight, Kim."


	11. Chapter 10

**Ahaha sorry this took awhile. I've had this written but life gets in the way sometimes... Anyways, this chapter is pretty long too, but I couldn't split it in an understandable way so you get all of it. This will be the last chapter so thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed and to those who will read and review in the future. **

* * *

"Jack?" Kim asked as she stopped in front of her locker.

"What?"

"Do you think it's weird that Brenden and I made eye contact today?" Kim blurted out.

"What?" Jack asked. "What do you mean, Kim?"

"Well, it's just ever since we broke up, I haven't really seen him. I haven't talked to him at all, haven't texted him either. It's like we don't know each other. Except for today it just felt weird. We made eye contact and held it for way too long. He had this look in his eye and-" Kim stopped herself. "Am I looking into this too much?"

"Probably. I'm sure it was nothing. Brenden was a jerk and he is all in the past," Jack told her. Kim nodded and opened her locker.

Jack waited for her to finish putting her things away in her locker and looked at Kim closely. "Hey, Kim?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Kim asked as she closed her locker door and turned to him.

"I know we don't have karate today, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dojo?"

"What for? To hang out or…"

"Well, I know you've been taking things easy for a while so you haven't been getting much practice in." Jack carefully considered his next words, he didn't want to offend Kim. "I was thinking about it and you've put on some weight-" Kim's eyes widen and Jack stopped himself. So much for not offending Kim. "No! I didn't mean- you're not fat. I wasn't suggesting- I think you are beautiful and perfect-"

"You think I'm beautiful?" Kim smirked as Jack blushed when he realized what he had said.

"Well, yeah… Kim, I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by it, just forget it. I'll walk home with you," Jack mumbled.

"There's nothing to do at home. What were you going to say, Jack? I'll let you finish as long as you promise you'll just spit it out without being so weird," Kim prompted.

"Fine. I was just going to say that you look like your almost back to your old self. I just thought it might feel good to go to the dojo and get some one on one practice. That way we can go at your pace and you can work your way up. Since it's been a little while since you really practiced. You know, besides those stretches you always do that Rudy showed you," Jack rambled.

"That's a great idea, Jack. Thank you for thinking of me. And I'd love to practice at the dojo, come on." Kim dragged Jack to the dojo since he was still embarrassed by what he had said earlier.

"Okay, where do we start?" Kim asked eagerly.

"Stretching?" Jack suggested. "Wait! I didn't mean- I know you've pretty much only been stretching but I always stretch, you know, so you can loosen up and-" Jack stopped when he saw Kim giggling at him. He cleared his throat and started over. "Sorry, how about we stretch, do a few warm-ups, and then we can assess what you are comfortable doing and what you can improve on," Jack said.

"Good idea," Kim agreed.

Jack and Kim started to warm up and Jack watched Kim closely. Kim sparred with Jack so both of them could see Kim's abilities. Afterward Jack acted like a dummy as he tweaked Kim's moves. After an hour of practice, Kim was extremely out of breath.

Jack, slightly winded, held his arms up for Kim to stop. "Let's call it a day, Kim. Your endurance isn't as strong as it used to be. You don't want to overdo it."

Kim nodded as she caught her breath and tried to calm her breathing. "Okay."

"Why don't you go shower while I clean this up?" Jack suggested.

"I can help clean up," Kim argued.

"Don't worry about it, Kim. You take forever in the shower," Jack joked.

Kim punched Jack in the arm but laughed it off. She hopped in the shower while Jack cleaned up. As he predicted, Jack had finished cleaning up before Kim came out of the shower. When she finally came out, Jack noticed she seemed pretty worn out.

"Yeah, probably could have called it a day half an hour earlier," Jack muttered as he shook his head. He walked over to Kim and helped carry her bag and clothes to the lockers. "Tired, huh?"

Kim yawned right on cue and nodded. "Yeah, just a little."

"Okay, well, why don't you go lie down, I think I'm going to shower too. While I was cleaning up I realized I'm a little more sweaty than I thought," Jack said. "Is that going to be okay, we can leave if you are too tired. I can always shower at home later."

Kim quickly shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Go take your shower. I'll hang out here until you're done."

Jack nodded and headed off to the locker room. Kim put her things away and had yawned no less than 8 times. She laid down on Rudy's couch and fell asleep almost instantly.

Jack's shower had not been very long, but he knew Kim caved the second he stepped out and saw Rudy's door open. He chuckled and walked into the office to find Kim fast asleep on the couch. She was all curled up and had goosebumps on her arms. Jack decided a small nap would probably be for the best and found a blanket which he delicately placed over her body. Before he could tell himself not to, Jack leaned down and kissed Kim's forehead.

He let her sleep and watched for a few minutes as her chest steadily moved up and down. Just as Jack started to leave, he noticed Kim shifting under the blanket. He curiously took a few steps back and watched as Kim moved more and more. Jack stopped watching with curiosity and started to worry there might be something wrong. Kim started to twist underneath the blanket and suddenly she stopped moving and started whimpering.

Jack stepped to Kim's side and shook her by the shoulders. "Kim, wake up. Kim. Kim!"

Kim awoke with a start and looked around wildly as she began to hyperventilate. "Deep breaths, Kim. Slow, deep breathes. Good. You okay?" Jack asked carefully. "What happened?"

Kim took a few shaky breaths. "I don't know. There was you and Frank and me. I can't remember much." Kim wracked her brain for what she had just experienced but it was quickly fleeting her memory. "All I remember is being scared and helpless, I couldn't do anything."

"It's okay, Kim. It was all a dream. I'm here. And Frank is gone, remember. I'll protect you." Jack hugged Kim and Kim melted into his embrace. It felt right and she forgot about being scared or tired, all she felt was peace and assurance.

"Thanks, Jack. I mean it. Thank you."

"Of course, Kim."

Jack combed Kim's hair with his fingers and moved it out of her face. He stood up and pulled Kim with him. "Why don't we get out of here so we can do our homework?" Jack asked. Kim nodded and walked out of the dojo hand in hand with Jack.

"Crap, I forgot my chem binder in my workout bag. Let me go grab it, I'll be right back," Jack muttered as he ran back to the dojo. Kim chuckled, Jack was always forgetting where he put his school work. Once he had left his math folder at home, so his mom brought it, and then he left the folder in his English class right after he picked it up. And then after he went and got his folder back he left it in the math class again. Kim smiled at the memory, it was an entertaining day for all the Wasabi Warriors.

Kim was snapped out of her trance when she heard strange noises coming from nearby. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, and her curiosity got the better of her. She approached the noises and started to recognize what they were. Glass breaking and then being stepped on, shuffling feet, grunting. She walked slower and looked out the other direction to check for anybody behind her. Before she could look to the source of the noise, someone placed a hand over her mouth and dragged her into the space between the two buildings. Kim screamed but the sound was muffled and she had barely even heard herself.

Whoever grabbed her threw her back to the wall and Kim looked up to see who it was. "Brenden! What are you doing?" she asked, trying and failing to keep the shaking out of her voice. "What's that smell? It's awful-Brenden, are you drunk?"

"The only thing I'm drunk on is you," Brenden slurred, reaching out to grab Kim.

Kim pushed his arm away and stepped to the side. "That doesn't even make sense."

"Just come back, baby. Please, I need you." Brenden reached out again. Kim tried to push his arms away but Brenden wasn't swayed by Kim's weaker efforts.

"Let me go, I am never going back to you, give it a rest!" Kim argued. Brenden raised his hand to slap her but paused when they heard a familiar voice.

"Kim, where are you!" Jack yelled.

Kim opened her mouth to yell but Brenden pulled out a knife surprising fast for someone who was drunk. "Shut your mouth. Now, you are going to tell Jack to leave us alone, and then you are going to come with me. Okay?"

"No-" Kim stopped when Brenden held the knife, shaking, inches from her face, tip pointed right at her.

"Okay?" he asked again.

"Okay," Kim gulped.

Brenden nodded and pulled Kim to his chest. Keeping one arm around her front and the other to her back, with the tip of the blade touching her as a reminder that he was in charge. Brenden led Kim to the opening so she could shout out to Jack.

"Jack! Over here," she called.

Jack turned and saw Kim and Brenden and ran over. "Brenden, let go of her. Come on, Kim. Let's get out of here."

Kim wanted more than anything to go with Jack but feared the knife pressed to her back. "I can't. Sorry, Jack. You have to go home without me. I'm staying with Brenden," she said quietly. Kim pleaded silently that Jack wouldn't give up, that he would know that Kim didn't want anything to do with Brenden. She hoped he knew her well enough, prayed that he would be able to save her.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you later then. Don't have too much fun without me," Jack joked as he waved and walked away.

Kim was shocked that Jack had given up so easily. Too easily. She didn't have time to dwell on it, however, as Brenden started to force her back to the alley. Kim walked as slowly as she could, cringing as she stepped over glass shards in her thin shoes. She reached the end of the alley and Brenden turned her around to face him.

He still held the knife up and pointed at her, and now he was smiling. "This should be fun."

"Brenden, you're drunk. What happened to us when we first started dating? Why can't you just move on? I thought you had April-"

"Not anymore! I lost April. She found out I was dating you and dropped me this morning. I've been thinking about you ever since. You're exactly what I need. Through everything, you were always a sweet little innocent girl. I need that now. You're my medicine…" As Brenden's list went on, Kim caught a glimpse of movement behind him. She realized it was Jack and saw him hold a finger to his mouth. Kim nodded ever so slightly and tried to block out all the vulgar and inappropriate things Brenden was suggesting.

"Hey!" Jack shouted. Brenden whipped around and as soon as he did Jack kicked the knife out of his hand while he was still surprised. "Kim, knife!" Jack directed. Kim nodded and made to run toward the knife.

Just as she reached the knife, Brenden kicked her leg and she fell face-first to the ground. Her hand absorbed most of the impact but landed right over the glass shards. Kim yelped in pain and slowly lifted her bloody hand. She saw Brenden's hand reach for the knife and pushed him back, grabbing it herself and crawling away from him and behind Jack.

As Jack started to fight Brenden, Kim inspected her hand. Most of the glass shards were bigger and from what Kim could see, the smaller pieces sticking to her hand were mostly dirt and pebbles.

"Kim, are you okay?" Jack asked, worried.

Kim looked up and saw Brenden passed out and Jack kneeling in front of her. Kim held out her hand for Jack to see himself.

"Does it hurt?" Jack asked.

"A little."

"Let's get you back to the dojo," Jack suggested. Kim nodded and Jack carefully pulled her up, still holding her bloody hand in his.

"What about Brenden?" Kim asked.

"Don't worry about him, he's going to be taken care of," Jack replied. "Come sit on these mats, I'm going to get a first aid kit."

Kim sat on a pile of mats while Jack disappeared into Rudy's office. When he came out, he set the kit next to Kim and opened it up. Carefully, Jack cradled Kim's hand and used a pair of tweezers to pick out the glass shards still in Kim's hand. Once they were all out, he dabbed a wet cloth on the cuts. Kim hissed but otherwise remained still. When Jack was done, he wrapped it up and put the first aid kit to the side as he hopped up and sat next to Kim on the mats.

"Sorry," he stated simply.

"What for?"

"For making you think I was going to leave you. I knew something was off with Brenden. I was pretty sure he was drunk and the way he was holding you and the way you responded, it all added up. I figured he was planning something and the only way I could help without you getting hurt would be to make him think I didn't know what was going on. When I left I called Joan and told her to look out for Brenden. Then I came back and made sure he didn't see me so I could surprise him from behind. I'm sorry you got hurt though," Jack finished.

"My hand just got a little scraped up, that's all. And you saved me, there is nothing to apologize for. Thank you," Kim replied. She smiled at Jack, and Jack couldn't help but smile back. Kim had no control under his adorable grin and kissed his lips until the smile faded as Jack kissed her back.

Jack braced himself with a hand behind him on the mat and slipped on a bandage wrapper, literally falling out of the kiss. Kim giggled as Jack tried to straighten himself up. "I guess I should clean this up," Jack mumbled.

Milton and Jerry walked into the dojo just then and saw Jack and Kim. More specifically, Kim still a little bloodied and shaken up, and Jack standing over her, her blood on his hands.

"Kim!" Milton yelled. He rushed forward with Jerry and they both grabbed her arms and pulled her back, off the mats, and put her behind them.

"Milton!" Jack and Kim both yelled at the same time.

"Leave her alone, Jack! Come on, Kim!" Jerry said as he tried to pull her away.

"Guys, stop!" Kim said. "Jack didn't do anything! Do you guys really not trust Jack?" Kim looked offended that Jerry and Milton were so quick to think bad of Jack.

Guilty, Jerry and Milton denied it. "Pfft, what! Of course not! It was just this thing we do, right, Milton?" Jerry asked slapping Milton's chest with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, it's this game we play called 'how fast can we pull Kim away from Jack' because you never know when you might need that skill!" Milton added.

Kim rolled her eyes and moved back over to the mats by Jack. Jack looked back to the bandages and wrappers and gathered them into a ball. "I'm going to go throw these away," he muttered. When he came back, he took Kim's hand and gently held it as his fingers traced over the bandages. Kim looked up at Jack and gave him a small smile as she placed her good hand over his roaming hand.

"I'm okay," she told him.

Jerry and Milton watched the whole exchange and even Jerry caught on to what appeared to be going on.

"Wait a minute! Are you guys…" Milton didn't dare finish his sentence. If he said something that offended either one or worse, both black belts, he would be sorry.

Kim smiled at what she knew Milton was trying to say. "If you're asking if Jack and I are dating, I think you should ask Jack that question," Kim smirked.

Jerry and Milton immediately turned not only their heads but their bodies too, toward Jack. "Yes, yes we are," he said without a second hesitation, he too was afraid of the blonde black belt he was dating.

"Yep!" Kim confirmed.

"Sweet!" Milton screeched.

"I knew it!" Jerry yelled. "I could see it in sus ojos!"

Jerry and Milton started a victory dance that was almost as embarrassing as Kim's own dancing. Jack and Kim just watched and laughed at their friends, forgetting about Brenden, Frank, school, karate. At that moment all that mattered was their friends and the unbreakable friendship they all shared. Maybe even more than friendship.


End file.
